Be Ready for the Final Supermoon of 2016: Facts About The Amazing Phenomenon People Need To Know
As the year end draws near, the final supermoon of this year rises on Dec. 13 and Dec. 14.
For those who couldn't see the amazing full-moon due to cloudy skies, just pray again that skies are brighter today. The final supermoon will take place at the same time with the peak of the Geminids meteor shower, said a report in Space.
Full moon in December is also called the Full Cold Moon (or the Long Nights Moon by some Native American tribes). This is associated with the start of winter and the darker-than-usual nights.
According to an astronomer at Nottingham Trent University Dr.Daniel Brown, the best moment to watch the supermoon is when the moon is low in the sky, either before sunrise and after the sunset.
For those who want to know more detail about the supermoon, here are some guides.
What is supermoon?
Supermoon is defined as the period when a moon gets closer to the Earth during its orbit. The term was introduced by an astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. But, astronomers now use it as well.
Nolle's theory explained the moon should be 226,000 miles away from the Earth to be called 'super'.
How close is it to the Earth?
The closest supermoon to the Earth so far, with reaching an orbit of 221,500 miles away, was the supermoon on November 14, 2016, as TheSUN reported. The moon was 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter.
NASA reported the moon will be so close to the planets again in 2034.
What about the Geminids?
The Geminids are an annual meteor shower triggered by the 3200 Phaethon asteroid. They have an orbit that moves them approach the sun very closely, making its surface material to dissolve.
The meteor shower shows up from a point in the constellation Gemini.
The amazing meteors, however, will be a bit harder to see as today's supermoon is expected to be very bright.
Are there any bad effects of supermoon?
Supermoon is often associated with disasters (such as astrologers claimed that a supermoon in 2011 was responsible for causing tsunamis in the Indian Ocean (2004) and Tohuku (2011), but actually no evidence about that. However, supermoon has an impact on waters. When a full moon gets closer to our planet, the tidal wave is usually higher than usual.
Is there a supermoon again in 2017?
Yes. There is only one supermoon next year, on December 3, 2017.
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