The third of four “supermoons” of the year, it will be at a distance of 357,364 kilometers on Wednesday evening, making it even larger and brighter than in August and September. It will reach its full lunar phase on Thursday.
By a twist of cosmic fate, a comet is in the neighborhood at the same time. Discovered last year, comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas is now clearly visible in the northern hemisphere after dazzling observers in the southern hemisphere.
Light from the Moon will blot out part of the comet’s tail, but it’s still worth watching after sunset, said NASA’s Bill Cooke.
“Most astronomers hate the full moon because its bright light interferes with observing other objects. So it’s a little difficult for us to wax poetic about it, even though it’s the biggest ‘supermoon’ of 2024,” he wrote by email.
Better catch the comet, because it might never return, but don’t worry if you miss Thursday’s “supermoon,” the fourth and final “supermoon” of the year will rise on November 15.
What makes a Moon so “super”?
A term more popular than scientific, a “supermoon” occurs when a full lunar phase synchronizes with a particularly close passage to Earth. This usually only happens three or four times a year and consecutively, given the Moon’s ever-changing oval orbit.
A “supermoon” is obviously not bigger in size, but it may look like it, although scientists argue that the difference may be barely noticeable.
“Unless you have observed a lot of full moons or compared them in images, it is difficult to notice the difference, but people should try,” said Noah Petro, a scientist at the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project at the NASA. “I like to think that the ‘supermoon’ is a good excuse to start observing the Moon more regularly,” he adds.
