Did You See The Super Moon?
If you were outdoors Saturday evening you couldn’t help but see the large moon. But the most impressive view came early this morning. It was a super moon.
It was at 1:14 a.m. when the moon was the closest to earth in its orbit, when the illumination was at at 99.4 percent and the moon was approximately 221,964 miles away, according to timeanddate.com moonrise, moonset and moon phases for August..
According to EarthSky Science News, a super moon is a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near its closest approach to earth in a given orbit. It was given the name super moon over 30 years ago by astrologer Richard Nolle.
Information from EarthSky states there are four to six super moons a year on average. There were two super moons in January: Jan. 1 and Jan. 30. There was also a super moon on July 12, and tonight. The next super moon is reportedly at 1:47 a.m. Sept. 9 when the moon illumination will be at 99.9 percent and will be 223,403 miles away. While not as bright, the moon’s illumination will be at 98.8 percent at 12:51 a.m. Sept. 8 when it will be 222,719 miles away according to timeanddate.com.