Supermoon helps learn more about our natural satellite

A supermoon occurs when our natural satellite reaches its full phase at about the same time it comes closest to Earth (it reaches a point called perihelion). It turns out that, as astronomer and Olhar Digital columnist Marcelo Zurita explains, without knowing how close the full moon is to Earth, it is not possible to determine whether this or that full moon is a supermoon.

There are even some attempts to create a scientific, complete and definitive definition of the term that came from astrology. But it is difficult to reach a consensus. In astronomy, calling it a “supermoon” is a novelty and has proven to be a good vehicle for spreading science.

Between criticism and support for the use of the term, however, was the full moon last Wednesday, the 30th of this month, at a distance of about 357 thousand kilometers from our planet – which we can classify as a “super moon”.

When a full moon occurs near perigee, it appears up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than a full moon at aphelion (farthest from Earth). And in the case of the newest supermoon, it was closest to Earth this year, making it the largest and brightest in 2023.

Earlier in August, we witnessed a giant sturgeon moon. When a month has two full moons, the second moon is called a blue moon, and the name has nothing to do with the color of the star. So last Wednesday’s full moon was a super blue moon.

Want to know more? Follow astronomer and Olhar Digital columnist Marcelo Zurita for more information on this amazing phenomenon. In Olhar Digital News, Olhar Espacial’s column explained how the supermoon could be important for us to learn more about our neighbor!