Missed the Supermoon This Month? The One in August Will Be Even Better

7/21/2014 (Permalink)

Liz Burlingame – Weather.com

Don't fret if work, plans or bad weather prevented you from seeing the super moon this month. It's returning in August, and it promises to be bigger and better, according to astronomers. 

The super moon on Aug. 10 will be the second of three consecutive super moons this summer. Stargazers were treated to the first on July 12, and the final show will be Sept. 9.

Super moons, which are also called "perigee moons," take place when the moon becomes full at the same time it's closest to us in its orbit around Earth. As a result, the moon appears bigger and brighter than usual.

The August super moon is slated be the main event of the year, Lorraine Hanlon, associate professor of astronomy at UCD told The Independent. "The moon orbits the earth every 28 days on a slightly rugby-ball sized path," she said. The very closest super moon is called a "proxigee." It happens once every 13 months and 18 days, with the next on Aug. 10.

Though the super moon phenomenon isn't that rare, it can cause a stir when it happens. Social media lit up with moon photos the day after the July 12 event, and media coverage was widespread. NASA says the fascination may come from a poorly understood optical illusion that makes the moon look enormous.

"The illusion occurs when the Moon is near the horizon. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects."

In terms of impact, the super moon will have only a minor effect on Earth. Other than its change in appearance, tides will be larger than usual, Earth sky reports.