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Astronomers are going to be spoiled later this month. On March 20, a supermoon will invade the skies over the Earth the same day as the spring equinox falls.
Super moon is used to describe a moon that is full and at its closest point to the Earth. At these times, it appears slightly brighter and wider than an average full moon, although the difference in size is difficult to detect with an untrained eye.
The phenomenon stems from the fact that the orbit of the moon around the Earth is not perfectly circular but elliptical. It means that it can be closer or farther from our planet, depending on its location on its orbit. A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with a point in the year when our natural satellite reaches its perigee, or the point closest to the Earth, according to National Geographic.
Astronomers expect the moon to appear about 14% brighter than normal. If this is not reason enough to try to catch a glimpse of it, the event will be the third and last super-moon of 2019, the next one not to take place before 2020.
The best time to observe the phenomenon will be around 9:43 pm. EST March 20, when the moon will have reached its most complete phase, even though it will reach its true perigee the day before at 3:47 PM. EST, when it will be 223,306 miles from Earth.
In the northern hemisphere, the March full moon is traditionally called the "worm moon" – a possible reference to the fact that this time of year is usually accompanied by milder weather, which often heralds the year. appearance of earthworms.
The moon is considered "full" when it is in perfect opposition to the sun, or 180 degrees, with the Earth aligned directly between the two bodies.
This alignment occurs technically at a specific time every lunar month – the period during which the moon completes a complete phase. However, the term is generally used to refer to the night on the date when the full moon occurs. In full moon situations, the whole face is illuminated by sunlight, which makes it particularly bright.
The supermoon of March 20 this year is very special because it also coincides with the March equinox, which marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere and the beginning of autumn in the # 39, southern hemisphere.
Astronomically, one equinox – there are two each year – is when the sun goes directly over the equator. This means that both hemispheres are also exposed to light (approximately), so that the days and nights are about equal in length to the north and south latitudes.
For the rest of the year, each hemisphere is oriented toward the sun or away from it because the Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbiting plane. # 39; star. This situation gives rise respectively to the summer and winter seasons.
This year, the moon will be no more than four hours after the March equinox, which must take place at 17:58. EST 20. According to the almanac of the old farmer, the last time that the equinox of the full moon and spring coincided so closely was in the year 2000. But we must go back to the 20th. March 1981 to find the last time the two events occurred the same date.
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