Thanks to the solar eclipse this past summer, every other celestial event this year seems to be over-shadowed.
So for most of us, hearing that our upcoming full moon on December 3rd is the one-and-only supermoon of the year might come as a bit of a surprise.
Superb SupermoonDid you see the moon Sunday night? If not, you can catch it again tonight!WeatherNationTV.com
Posted by WeatherNation on Monday, November 14, 2016
What is a Supermoon?
This might come as a bit of a surprise, but ‘supermoon’ isn’t the scientific name for the celestial event.
It’s actual name is perigee syzygy.
Perigee refers to the time in the moon’s orbit in which it is closest to earth. (apogee is the time in which the moon is farthest from the earth.)
Syzygy is an incredibly difficult word to spell and pronounce that simply refers to the special alignment of the earth, moon, and sun that give us a full moon.
Still confused?
A supermoon is simply a full moon at the same time the moon is closest to the earth in its orbit.
Because of this, the moon can appear 14% larger than normal in the night sky.
Brightest Supermoon Since 1948. Did you catch it? Let's see your images! WeatherNationTV.com
Posted by WeatherNation on Tuesday, November 15, 2016
How to Catch the Show
Unlike the solar eclipse, you can just stare at the super moon with your naked eye!
They say the best time to view will be after bar close in the midwest, but I have an opinion on the matter.
The moon looks biggest against the horizon. So watching it rise after sunset or set before sunrise is your best bet to get a jaw-dropping view.
If you plan on taking pictures of the monstrous moon, use a lens with a huge zoom and get far away from your reference objects– this way they will look bigger against the massive moon!
For WeatherNation — Meteorologist Jeremy LaGoo