Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s supermoon!
The night sky will be an amazing spectacle tonight (November 14) as a significantly luminous supermoon occurs.
A supermoon typically refers to the cooperation of two phenomena.
The first is a perigee; when the moon is within 90 per cent of its closest location in its orbit to Earth.
The second is referred to as syzygy; when the Earth, sun and moon all line up as the moon orbits Earth.
When both occur and the moon is located on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun, we get a supermoon.
A supermoon occurred roughly a month ago, but not of the magnitude expected for today.
The moon is expected to be within two hours of pedigree; it will appear 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than the average full moon.
In fact the moon will be the closest it has been to Earth since 1948.
If you are younger than 68, you have never spectated this record-breaking supermoon in your lifetime.
If you miss the moon tonight, you will have to wait until November 25, 2034 to see it again.
Sources: www.space.com and www.forbes.com
