Supermoon stuns students
The supermoon was visible all over the world on November 13 and 14. It occurs when the moon is full and close to the earth, making it appear brighter and larger than usual. The next supermoon such as this will not occur until 2034.
A supermoon brightened everyone’s night on November 13 and 14.
“A supermoon occurs when the full moon is within ten percent of its closest approach to Earth… during its orbit,” according to The Telegraph.
This position is known as perigee and is 221,525 miles from Earth.
“They’re not particularly rare – we had one last month and will have another next month – but this one is a bit more special as the full moon and perigee fall at almost the same time,” said Dr. Daniel Brown, astronomy expert at Nottingham Trent University, to The Telegraph.
According to The Telegraph, this was the first time since 1948 that the moon achieved this, appearing 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than usual.
“Although it was a bit cloudy that night, it was still phenomenal to see the immense size and light given off by the moon,” said Thea Ferdinand, 11.
The next time a supermoon occurs will be Wed., Dec. 14. However, a full moon matched with a similar position at perigee will not happen again until 2034.
“I am looking forward to the next supermoon. It was a cool experience because it really reminded me how we are just one small part of a huge solar system,” said Ferdinand.
