The moon will be full at precisely 2:35 p.m. Saturday, and when it rises this evening, it will be nearing its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit — technically making it a “supermoon.”
On Sunday, the moon reaches lunar perigee, at just under 223,000 miles away from Earth. Full moons that coincide with lunar perigee have in recent years been commonly known as supermoons, though that is not a technical term in any astronomical sense.
There was the supermoon event last weekend, and this weekend is the 45th anniversary of the moon landing (July 20).
The moon will rise at about 7:37 p.m. Saturday, and with only partly cloudy skies forecast, Baltimore should get a good view.
This month’s full moon is known as the Sturgeon Moon, the last full moon of summer. The Harvest Moon, a hallmark of fall’s arrival, comes Sept. 27.
The Harvest Moon could be the most dramatic full moon of the year, bringing with it a lunar eclipse that can create what is known as a “Blood Moon.” The moon will be even closer to Earth at that time, at just more than 222,000 miles away and reaching perigee the next day, Sept. 28.
One more supermoon follows Oct. 27, but it will be slightly more distant than the previous two.
Original Article:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/weather/weather-blog/bal-wx-first-of-three-consecutive-supermoons-rises-saturday-night-20150829-story.html
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