It ’ s Time to Marvel at the Fourth and Final Supermoon of 2023

Few people take the time to give thanks to American astrologer Richard Noelle. Astrology as a whole may not have contributed much to the advancement of science, but that doesn’t mean that an astrologer’s ideas can’t have a very big impact. In 1979, Noelle had a good idea indeed, when he coined the now-ubiquitous term “supermoon.”
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Prior to Noelle’s brainstorm, the common descriptor for a full moon that occurs at the low point, or perigee, in its orbit around the Earth was a “perigean full moon,” a turgid bit of phrasing not remotely in keeping with the loveliness of the phenomenon. This year has been a good one for supermoons, with three occurring already—on July 3, Aug. 1, Aug. 30—and a fourth one teed up to appear in the eastern sky just after sunset on Sept. 28. September’s supermoon will reach its brightest illumination at 5:58 a.m. ET on Sept. 29, and set shortly after. 

During the time the supermoon is riding across the sky there will be plenty to see. For one, the moon will not make its appearance alone. About an hour before it becomes visible, Saturn will rise and precede the moon across the sky throughout the night. Jupiter will then appear, about 90 minutes after the moon does, and similarly fly in tandem with it.

Then there’s the spectacular sight of the moon itself. The average distance between the Earth and the moon is 384,400 km (238...

Source: TIME: Science - September 28, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Jeffrey Kluger Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Source Type: news