A young moon rises over the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming on September 16, 2016. Credit & Copyright: USFWS.
Compared to other space objects, the Moon is very close to us, but I would like it to be even closer. Close enough that I can see the smallest details on its surface without a telescope or binoculars.
Of course, such closeness would entail terrible problems. For example, intense tides, the complete absence of good dark nights for stargazing, and something else ... oh yes, the complete destruction of life on Earth. I guess I've changed my mind, Luna better stay where she is.
The average distance to our satellite is 384,467 kilometers. I say "average" because the moon actually moves in an elliptical orbit. At the nearest point, the distance is only 363,104 kilometers, and at the farthest point, it is 405,696 kilometers.
Thus, light traveling at 300,000 km/s would take just over a second to reach our satellite. The moon is very far away.
But what happens if the Moon is much closer? How close can it be and still be our satellite?
Again, I must remind you that these are purely theoretical considerations. The moon is not approaching us, but on the contrary - it is slowly moving away from us by almost 4 centimeters per year.
Let's go back in time, billions of years ago, when the young Earth collided with an object the size of Mars. This catastrophic collision threw a huge amount of material into the orbit of our planet. Over time, under the influence of gravity, this material formed the Moon that we see today.
Shortly after its formation, the Moon was much closer and the Earth was spinning faster. At that time, the length of a day on Earth did not exceed 6 hours, and the Moon made one revolution around the Earth in just 17 days.
At a distance that corresponds to the Roche limit, tidal forces and self-gravitational forces are equalized. Thus, any instability will lead to the destruction of the satellite. Credit & Copyright: Theresa Knott. The Earth's gravity stopped the Moon's rotation, and the Moon's gravity gradually slowed the Earth's rotation. Thus, in order to conserve the total angular momentum of the system, the Moon must constantly move away from us.
But if you consider another scenario in which the moon is spinning faster than the planet, then the moon should be getting closer to us. And it won't lead to anything good.
For any gravitational interactions there is a critical point, which is called the Roche limit. The Roche limit is the point at which an object held by gravity comes so close to another celestial body that it begins to collapse.
The Roche limit is determined by the masses, sizes, and densities of the two objects. For example, the Roche limit for the Earth and the Moon is about 9,500 kilometers, assuming the Moon is a solid ball. In other words, if the distance to the Moon is 9,500 kilometers or so, then the gravity of the Earth will tear our satellite apart.
All that remains of the moon is a ring of small objects orbiting our planet. Over time, all these small objects will fall to the Earth and these will be very bad days for all life on Earth.
But don't worry, this will never happen to Earth, but you might be surprised to know that it will happen to Mars. Its largest moon, Phobos, rotates faster than the planet, which means that in a few million years, it will cross the Roche limit and be torn to pieces by its planet.
Researchers believe that Mars' moon Phobos may someday turn into a ring around the Red Planet. Credit & Copyright: Celestia. And one moment. After reading this article, you may have the following question: because I am also a separate object, and I am closer than the Roche limit, so why haven't I been torn apart yet?
In fact, the force of gravity that holds you to the surface is very small compared to the chemical bonds that keep the molecules that make you up stable. That is why physicists consider the force of gravity to be a rather weak force compared to all other forces in the universe. Only the gravitational forces of a black hole can break your chemical bonds and tear you apart.
So, the minimum distance at which the Moon remains the Moon is approximately 9,500 kilometers, otherwise our only satellite will collapse and destroy all life on Earth.
November 14 is the nearest full moon to appear since 1948. When can you see her? What exactly should be monitored? Is the supermoon just a scam? Below you will find answers to all questions.
On November 14, 2016, the Moon will come much closer to the Earth than it did on January 26, 1948. This event will combine both a full moon and a supermoon. Then this tandem can be observed only on November 25, 2034. This combination of circumstances makes the upcoming full moon the closest and biggest supermoon in 86 years! Here are 5 things you should know.
The moon will be equally amazing on November 13 and 14
This is the first and most important thing you need to know. In many of the articles that we looked at, it is advised to look out for the supermoon on November 14th. But for most of us, especially those who live in America, the moon will retain its size and brightness (if not even brighter) on November 13th.
The fact is that the moon will reach the peak of its phase (and its nearest point of the month - perigee) in the early morning of November 14, in accordance with the time in the Americas.
So for all Americans, the Moon will be closest to the Earth on the morning of November 14, not in the evening. This means that for all time zones, including Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands, the supermoon comes closer to the night of November 13th. This is all the more good if you are a morning person and plan to watch the supermoon until dawn.
But don't worry about it. The moon will be large and bright on both nights. And everyone will be able to see and photograph an amazing spectacle.
Is the supermoon just a scam? Not
The term "supermoon" appeared relatively recently. Before spreading the name, astronomers often referred to this phenomenon as a "perigee full moon." Catchy? Well, not really. Most people ignored it until a new term emerged.
What is special about a supermoon? Finely tuned instruments (composite images) show that the supermoon is indeed closer to Earth. Thus, it is larger than a normal full moon.
But many of us, observing without the use of technology, cannot detect this difference. Meanwhile, experienced observers sometimes say they see this difference.
So if most can't see the difference in size, then why are we all so excited about this event? There are two things to be aware of.
First, for all of us, the brightness of the moon will noticeably increase during the formation of a supermoon. All full moons are bright, but a supermoon is noticeably different. So... pay attention to the brightness, not the enormity of the moon on November 13 and 14!
Secondly, lunar gravity affects the Earth's tides, and the supermoon (the closest full moon to Earth) has a stronger effect on the oceans. Therefore, the tides at this time will be much higher.
Super moon can create super tides
So is a supermoon a hype? Ask the oceans about it! All full moons result in high tides, called spring floods or, in some places, royal tides.
A supermoon results in the highest and lowest tides.
If you live near the coastline, then watch out for the high tides caused by November 14th. Continue tracking for several days after the event. They may last a day or two.
Will the tides lead to floods? Most likely no. Of course, unless a strong weather system is moving across the coastline to where you are. This is what happened to the tides after the supermoon in 2015. Then a supermoon, combined with an 18.6-year lunar cycle and a tropical storm, caused high tides and some flooding on both sides of the Atlantic.
So keep an eye on the weather on November 14 if you live near the coast. Storms do have a high potential to amplify the high spring tides, especially if they are caused by a supermoon.
Nearest moon is almost always full
We're wondering... is this the closest moon (overall) since 1948, or the closest full moon? It turns out that these two events are usually the same thing.
Due to gravity and the intriguing interactions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon (and, to a lesser extent, the planets), the closest perigee of any given year is often the one closest to the full moon.
For the moon to be full, the Sun, Earth, and Moon must align so that the Earth is exactly in the middle. During this process, the tidal pull of the Sun and Moon combine to create far-reaching syzygies. And a full moon at perigee creates even wider perigee tides.
Ready for the technical details? Go!
In the diagram above, the line connecting lunar perigee to lunar apogee defines the Moon's major axis (the longest axis of the ellipse).
When the main axis (apogee-perigee line) of the Moon points towards the Sun (A and C in the diagram), the eccentricity (flatness) of the lunar orbit increases to a maximum. A larger eccentricity shortens the perigee distance, increasing the apogee distance.
The "A" in the diagram is the new moon of perigee (supermoon) and apogee of the full moon (micromoon).
After 3.5 lunar months (approximately 103 days), at point "B" on the diagram, the main axis is at right angles to the Sun-Earth line. So the eccentricity is minimal. At this point, the lunar orbit is closest to a circle. This is a more distant perigee and near apogee.
After 7 lunar months (206 days), the main axis again points in the direction of the Sun. Again, the lunar orbital eccentricity increases to a maximum, the perigee distance decreases, and the apogee distance increases. Now it is the full moon of perigee and the apogee of the new moon - "C" in the diagram.
Dates of nearest/distant new/full moons in 2016:
- April 7th: Nearest new moon.
- April 22: Far full moon.
- Seven lunar months later:
- October 30: Distant new moon.
- November 14th: Nearest full moon.
The supermoon has cycles
Great, now you know that everything in the sky has cycles and the supermoon is no exception.
The nearest full moons, as a rule, repeat in cycles of 14 lunar (synodic) months. After all, 14 lunar months are practically equal to 15 returns in perigee (the closest point of the Moon to the Earth).
A lunar month refers to the period of time between successive full moons, averaging 29.53059 days. The anomalous month refers to consecutive returns to perigee - 27.55455 days. Consequently:
14 lunar months x 29.53059 days = 413.428 days
15 anomalistic months x 27.55455 days = 413.318 days
The full moon and perigee will realign again on January 2nd, 2018 because the 14th full moon after November 14, 2016 will fall on that date.
Moon closest to Earth (table)
| Year | date of | Distance |
| 2011 | March 19 | 356.575 km |
| 2012 | the 6th of May | 356.955 km |
| 2013 | June 23 | 356.991 km |
| 2014 | August 10 | 356.896 km |
| 2015 | 28 September | 356.877 km |
| 2016 | November 14 | 356.509 km |
| 2018 | January 2 | 356.565 km |
Looking ahead, we see that the full moon perigee will approach closer than 356.500 km for the first time in the 21st century (2001-2100) on November 25, 2034 (356.446 km). The nearest full moon of the 21st century will fall on December 6, 2052 (356425 km).
The closer the Moon is to the Earth, the stronger its influence. Thus, it turns out that during supermoons, the impact of the moon on our planet is maximum.
Russian amateur astronomers have started uploading videos of a noticeably enlarged moon today. Videos from the Far East and Siberia appeared on the Internet. Weather conditions last night allowed for observations.
The term "supermoon" is used to refer to the period of the full moon, when the moon gets as close as possible to the earth in its orbit. Astronomers call this point perigee. The distance from our planet to the satellite at this moment will be about 356,500 km. The full moon will come tonight at 16:52 Moscow time, and the super moon can be observed throughout the night from November 14 to 15.
The Moon hasn't come this close to Earth since January 1948. True, then the distance between our planet and its satellite was another 50 km less. But the repetition of such a close rendezvous will have to wait 18 years. The next comparable supermoon is not expected until November 2034.
During a supermoon, the satellite will appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter from Earth than the full moon at its apogee, according to NASA. This effect will be especially noticeable when observing the Moon rising above the horizon. You can see the supermoon both in the city and in nature, the main condition is a cloudless sky.
On the synoptic map of the upcoming night, a huge anticyclone that captured the Urals and Siberia is clearly visible. This high pressure center contributes to the dissipation of cloud fields over a vast territory from the Kama region to Yakutia, keeping severe frosts everywhere. Cloud fields are concentrated along its borders - over the Arctic regions, most of European Russia, the extreme south of Siberia and the Far East. This is where you won't be able to see the supermoon.
But the Urals, residents of Western Siberia, the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Yakutia, if they wish, will be able to enjoy the spectacle of a large and bright Moon. The main thing is not to freeze at low temperatures.
Experts have been arguing about the connection between supermoons and all sorts of cataclysms for many years. Some of them note that on the days when these phenomena are observed, destructive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions often occur. They also remember the 2004 earthquake in Southeast Asia, and the tremors in Japan in 2011. Now the earthquake in New Zealand is also associated with the supermoon.
Experts admit that approaches to the Moon do not pass without a trace for our planet. Earthquakes ripen in the bowels, and the Moon, due to its gravitational influence, can theoretically push events a little bit. But meanwhile the entire tidal effect of the Moon is small. It's as if we went up or down 30 centimeters in 6 hours. So it is still impossible to say that it is the supermoons that are responsible for earthquakes.
You can set a reminder about them in your messenger and we will remind you in advance about the supermoon and tell you the time of sunrise and sunset and other information about it. Since this event is rare, it is easy to miss and therefore we recommend setting this reminder.
What Happens During Supermoons
First, the moon in the sky becomes as large and bright as possible. On the night of the supermoon, you can observe the largest moon. In this case, it should be remembered that at the moment of moonrise above the horizon, an optical illusion arises and the moon is seen as very large. It has nothing to do with the supermoon.
Secondly, the maximum approach of the moon affects the tides, they are the largest on this day.
Also, according to statistical studies, the full moon affects the psychological and physical state of a person, and therefore, on the days of the super moon, this influence should be maximum. However, this is only a theory that still needs to be proven and researched.
What does a supermoon look like
Bigger and brighter
In a supermoon, the moon is visually larger by about 7% and 16% brighter than an average full moon.
biggest in winter
In winter, the earth comes closer to the sun, and during the supermoon, the sun pulls the moon more towards the earth with its gravitational force. Therefore, winter supermoons are visually larger than summer ones.
Biggest at moonrise
During moonrise, it appears above the horizon and seems huge and very beautiful. This is because visually it is located against the background of landscape elements and we can compare its size with familiar elements - trees, buildings, mountains, etc.
This effect is called moon illusion.
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