SKYGAZERS across the world were treated to a dazzling supermoon last night.
The special moment in the Moon’s cycle makes it appear larger and brighter than usual.
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From London, to New York, and Paris to Rome, people waited to catch a glimpse of the celestial spectacle – and they weren’t disappointed.
A supermoon takes place when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth at the same time it is full.
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This year’s full moon, known as the Sturgeon Moon, peaked on Thursday night as expected.
The name is said to have been coined by North American fishing tribes as the celestial event coincided with the appearance of sturgeon fish around this time of year.
And you can still catch a glimpse of it if you missed the peak, as Earth’s natural satellite will be brighter than usual a few days after too.
But that’s not all.
Some places were also graced with a sky full of meteors whizzing by.
The Perseid meteors typically begin to shine in the night sky in July and remain visible until mid-August.
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The celestial light show also peaked on Thursday, but could still appear for a few more days if you’re lucky.
When is the next supermoon?
As for the supermoon, the next one won’t show its face for another year.
Experts say it should appear on August 1, 2023 to be precise.
But next year is also a rather special year for the moon, as another supermoon will follow shortly after, on August 31.
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The Moon – our closest neighbour explained
Here’s what you need to know…
- The Moon is a natural satellite – a space-faring body that orbits a planet
- It’s Earth’s only natural satellite, and is the fifth biggest in the Solar System
- The Moon measures 2,158 miles across, roughly 0.27 times the diameter of Earth
- Temperatures on the Moon range from minus 173 degrees Celcius to 260 degrees Celcius
- Experts assumed the Moon was another planet, until Nicolaus Copernicus outlined his theory about our Solar System in 1543
- It was eventually assigned to a “class” after Galileo discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610
- The Moon is believed to have formed around 4.51billion years ago
- The strength of its gravitational field is about a sixth of Earth’s gravity
- Earth and the Moon have “synchronous rotation”, which means we always see the same side of the Moon – hence the phrase “dark side of the Moon”
- The Moon’s surface is actually dark, but appears bright in the sky due to its reflective ground
- During a solar eclipse, the Moon covers the Sun almost completely. Both objects appear a similar size in the sky because the Sun is both 400 times larger and farther
- The first spacecraft to reach the Moon was in 1959, as part of the Soviet Union’s Lunar program
- The first manned orbital mission was Nasa’s Apollo 8 in 1968
- And the first manned lunar landing was in 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
