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Syzygy and Supermoon - November 14, 2016


ChrLzs

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Every portion!

While the times and angle and direction may differ a little depending on your hemisphere and latitude, it's pretty much the same everywhere (except right up/down near the poles!)  So, on any of the nights of 13, 14 and 15 November, look towards the east near sunset.  On the 13th it will start to rise about 40-60 minutes before sunset.  On the 14th it will rise pretty much exactly at the same time as the Sun sets. On the 15th it will rise about 40-60 minutes after the sun sets.  (Approximate times - I should really look them up but they will vary quite a bit depending on your location)

During all that time it will be close to as large as it ever gets and on all those nights it will look 'full'...  And when the moon is near the horizon there is an optical illusion that makes it look much bigger than when it is high in the sky, so the overall effect at moonrise on those nights WILL be impressive..

I'll bump this thread when we get closer.

Oh a quick hint.. if you wanna take a picture, get a good camera where you can control the exposure settings!  You should use a daylight exposure! of around 1/250, f5.6 ISO100 for best results, otherwise the moon will just be a huge white washed out blur.  If your camera phone allows you to spot meter, do so, otherwise all you can do is try to dial down the brightness.  If your phone has a really basic camera with none of that.. well, forget it.  Just enjoy what you see and look at pro photos. :)

Edited by ChrLzs
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I hope there's no clouds here that night I want to see it!

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7 hours ago, ChrLzs said:

Every portion!

While the times and angle and direction may differ a little depending on your hemisphere and latitude, it's pretty much the same everywhere (except right up/down near the poles!)  So, on any of the nights of 13, 14 and 15 November, look towards the east near sunset.  On the 13th it will start to rise about 40-60 minutes before sunset.  On the 14th it will rise pretty much exactly at the same time as the Sun sets. On the 15th it will rise about 40-60 minutes after the sun sets.  (Approximate times - I should really look them up but they will vary quite a bit depending on your location)

During all that time it will be close to as large as it ever gets and on all those nights it will look 'full'...  And when the moon is near the horizon there is an optical illusion that makes it look much bigger than when it is high in the sky, so the overall effect at moonrise on those nights WILL be impressive..

I'll bump this thread when we get closer.

Oh a quick hint.. if you wanna take a picture, get a good camera where you can control the exposure settings!  You should use a daylight exposure! of around 1/250, f5.6 ISO100 for best results, otherwise the moon will just be a huge white washed out blur.  If your camera phone allows you to spot meter, do so, otherwise all you can do is try to dial down the brightness.  If your phone has a really basic camera with none of that.. well, forget it.  Just enjoy what you see and look at pro photos. :)

Thanks for the extra tips :)

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I love it when the Moon looks real big in the sky.  The one thing that is disturbing though, is how long will it take before the Moon gets too close to the Earth?  If it keeps creeping closer and closer due to it's changing orbit we won't have to worry about an asteroid wiping us out.

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1 hour ago, paperdyer said:

I love it when the Moon looks real big in the sky.  The one thing that is disturbing though, is how long will it take before the Moon gets too close to the Earth?  If it keeps creeping closer and closer due to it's changing orbit we won't have to worry about an asteroid wiping us out.

The moon isn't creeping closer to us, it is moving away at a rate of about 4cm (1.6 in) per year.

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Just to remind everyone now the time is getting nearer -

Quote

The exact time of perigee is 6:22 a.m. EST and the exact time of the full moon is at 8:52 a.m. EST. Sadly, this is after moonset for most of the US, so the official advice is to get outside late Sunday night or early Monday morning to see a pretty close super-supermoon.

http://www.seeker.com/supermoon-astronomy-earth-moon-orbit-full-2088169467.html

 

Quote

The time to see it at its biggest and brightest in the UK will be around 4.45pm, when it begins to rise and is nearest to the horizon.

If you miss Monday's spectacular, it should still appear bigger than usual on Tuesday evening but will be a fraction smaller.

http://news.sky.com/story/supermoon-brightest-spectacle-in-70-years-due-on-monday-10653133

 

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It will probably be cloudy here when it happens...

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4 hours ago, Thorvir Hrothgaard said:

It will probably be cloudy here when it happens...

Bummer, but remember that the Moon is still going to be big from now thru to a few days after the 14th... so keep looking up!

For northerners (anyone in mid latitudes north of the equator)...  right now the Moon is already well up in the sky at sunset (tonight,12 Nov) look up about 20 degrees, a bit South of due East), but with each day it rises about 50 minutes later.  On the 14th (full moon) it will rise pretty much at sunset making it perfect for viewing, clouds permitting.  As I mentioned earlier, the effect is much better when the Moon is just rising, ie near the horizon.  There your brain is comparing it to other things on the horizon, so it looks bigger then when it is high in the sky.

On the 15th, it will rise about 50 minutes after sunset, but will still look full.  By the 16th you will just be able to detect that it is not full and of course it will rise later again..

While you are out skywatching - look for Venus following the Sun down just after sunset, very bright but low in the Southwest.  Also, if you draw a line from Venus to the Moon, Mars is the bright red 'star' about one third of the way from Venus.  And if you look near Venus and upwards you will see Sagittarius, one of the brightest parts of the Milky Way (our galaxy) stretching up, and then the bright star Altair with Vega up further but more to the West.  Note that viewing the Milky Way and similar faint objects is better done on a night without the Moon, as its brightness will tend to make your eyes NOT able to 'dark adapt'.

BTW, did you know that with only a couple of exceptions*, every thing you see up there, every single star, is in our own galaxy which is just one of the billions of galaxies in the Cosmos... Looking up makes me feel awed and humble!

* - the very few exceptions include the Andromeda galaxy and the Magellanic clouds, all of which are quite close to our galaxy...

 

I'll be back later and give a similar sky summary for us downtrodden southerners.... :D

 

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28 minutes ago, ChrLzs said:

Bummer, but remember that the Moon is still going to be big from now thru to a few days after the 14th... so keep looking up!

For northerners (anyone in mid latitudes north of the equator)...  right now the Moon is already well up in the sky at sunset (tonight,12 Nov) look up about 20 degrees, a bit South of due East), but with each day it rises about 50 minutes later.  On the 14th (full moon) it will rise pretty much at sunset making it perfect for viewing, clouds permitting.  As I mentioned earlier, the effect is much better when the Moon is just rising, ie near the horizon.  There your brain is comparing it to other things on the horizon, so it looks bigger then when it is high in the sky.

On the 15th, it will rise about 50 minutes after sunset, but will still look full.  By the 16th you will just be able to detect that it is not full and of course it will rise later again..

While you are out skywatching - look for Venus following the Sun down just after sunset, very bright but low in the Southwest.  Also, if you draw a line from Venus to the Moon, Mars is the bright red 'star' about one third of the way from Venus.  And if you look near Venus and upwards you will see Sagittarius, one of the brightest parts of the Milky Way (our galaxy) stretching up, and then the bright star Altair with Vega up further but more to the West.  Note that viewing the Milky Way and similar faint objects is better done on a night without the Moon, as its brightness will tend to make your eyes NOT able to 'dark adapt'.

BTW, did you know that with only a couple of exceptions*, every thing you see up there, every single star, is in our own galaxy which is just one of the billions of galaxies in the Cosmos... Looking up makes me feel awed and humble!

* - the very few exceptions include the Andromeda galaxy and the Magellanic clouds, all of which are quite close to our galaxy...

 

I'll be back later and give a similar sky summary for us downtrodden southerners.... :D

Indiana during an astronomical event--sigh and ugh--but I will keep and eye out and see what I can see.

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And for us southerners (anyone in mid latitudes south of the equator)...  right now the Moon is higher in the sky at sunset - tonight,12 Nov look up about 40 degrees (4 fist widths at arm's length), a bit North of East, but again with each day it rises about 50 minutes later.  On the 14th (full moon) it will rise pretty much at sunset making it perfect for viewing, clouds permitting.  As I mentioned earlier, the effect is much better when the Moon is just rising, ie near the horizon.  There your brain is comparing it to other things on the horizon, so it looks bigger then when it is high in the sky.

On the 15th, it will rise about 50 minutes after sunset, but will still look full.  By the 16th you will just be able to detect that it is not full and of course it will rise later again..

While you are out skywatching - look for beautiful Venus following the Sun down just after sunset, it's currently very bright up about 30 degrees almost due West.  Draw a line from Venus to the Moon and Mars is the bright red 'star' about one third of the way from Venus.  Saturn may also be visible below Venus, but it sets pretty soon after sunset.  For us, Sagittarius and Milky Way stretch across the sky more horizontally at this time of year, so it may be more difficult to see as it, along with Venus, 'sets' as the sky gets darker.  If you look south of where Venus is setting, you may be able to see two bright stars also setting - they are Alpha and Beta Centauri or the 'Pointers' - a couple of quite close stars..  Later, as the evening progresses, look out for the Orion constellation rising in the East, followed by the brightest star in the sky, Sirius...

Again, note that this description applies for Southern hemisphere viewers.  Refer a coupla posts back if you are in the Northern hemisphere..

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On 11/4/2016 at 9:07 AM, White Unicorn said:

I hope there's no clouds here that night I want to see it!

I know the feeling :(  Near the Gulf of Mexico, clouds can be a problem nearly all the time.  Good luck!

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Recently "supermoons" have become a bit trendy. Personally I think, as a spectacle, they are a bit over-rated.

There really is not a huge amount of difference between a normal full moon and a supermoon.

The full moon is a spectacular sight in the sky but it is just about the worst time for most astronomy, The light of the full moon washes out dimmer objects making them harder to observe. It is also, for most features, the worst time to observe the moon. with the sun overhead there are virtually no shadows meaning that craters and mountains have little relief, The best time to observe most features on the moon is when they are near the terminator (the point where night meets day on the moon).

But that's just my opinion, don't let it stop you going out and looking at the night sky. Indeed don't wait for a supermoon. Look up at the night sky as often as you can, it is full of wonders.

 

Getting away from my opinion, here is what the respected magazine Sky and Telescope has to say on the matter:

Quote

“Supermoons”: A Unique Observing Challenge

This month's full Moon will appear 30% larger in area than the smallest full Moons. But can you tell just by looking at it? Maybe!

It's "supermoon" season again, with three full moons in a row taking place quite close to lunar perigee — that is, when the Moon is closest to Earth on its somewhat elliptical orbit. Monday's full Moon is the closest of the three, and as pointed out here already it will actually be the closest full Moon since 1948.

This factoid — even promoted by NASA now — is causing considerable media interest that splits two ways: some articles tout it as a sky sensation, while others claim that all full Moons look the same to the human eye, regardless of their distance. A closer look shows that neither statement is correct and that one should enjoy and observe supermoons in general.

arrow3.gif  Read more: Sky and Telescope

 

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Just to keep this bumped...  I only had a few minutes but I grabbed this shot of the moon just a few moments ago, so it's a live image!! :D   Here in Australia (Qld), it is a little after 7pm on the 13th, the sun set about an hour ago and the moon is quite a ways up - already looks almost full (look at the bottom edges and you'll see it isn't quite...).
DSC04526_crop.jpg

Didn't have camera set up perfectly, but it's not bad.. (Sony a57 DSLR, with Minolta 70-300 zoom, 1/1000, f9, ISO400 (oops), contrast and brightness adjusted, hand held).

And here's the earlier pic I posted - I've tried to show roughly the difference in size for comparison - this earlier shot was taken when the moon was closer to its most distant, and about 14% smaller (by diameter).
gallery_95887_37_23987.jpg

Good luck for tomorrow, and happy sky viewing!  Get outside more and look up, folks - it's very rewarding...  (says he from a nice temperate/tropical location in summer..). :)

Edited by ChrLzs
because the crazy editor did some creative resizing... top image was being enlarged for reasons way beyond me...
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the skies over me is cloudy from horizon to horizon ...

:(

~

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I'm keeping my fingers crossed for another clear evening tomorrow :D

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Don't forget that even on the 15th, and the 16th, it will still look impressively full and large..

BUT - remember that on the 15th it will rise about 50 minutes LATER, so well after sunset.. and on the 16th, 50 minutes later again so by then it will rise almost two hours after sunset.

 

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At the moment I'm sitting outside on the patio admiring it over the ocean. 

It's a beautiful balmy evening here. And the moon looks glorious.

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Ironically, I was late traveling back from work *without my camera*!!!!  How embarrassment, after telling everyone here that I try to keep it with me at all times......grr, don't tell anyone ok?

And of course, it was a magical sight, with the Moon rising through scattered clouds in a bright sky - by the time I got home the sky was darker and way less photogenic.. oh well...

1 hour ago, Habitat said:

Where does gazing at the "super moon " fit on the Bored Witless Index ?  After the first 20 seconds I mean ?

Perhaps some of us appreciate the Cosmos, and we look up at that moon thinking about the folks that have walked upon it, and think about the 'boring' things like the fact that it is peppered with craters as it has no atmosphere, that if you lived there the sky would always be black, even in the middle of the day, that you could jump a few times higher than you could here, that you could drop a feather and watch it plummet to the ground at the exact same rate as a bowling ball, that it is lifeless, yet it orbits a world teeming with it.  That without a moon we would almost certainly not exist - most life on earth would probably still be in the sea, if it was here at all.  That the moon causes tides, that on a moonlit night you can read a newspaper, or go for a walk in 'dark' places (without cowering behind your computer).  That at this moment, the moon is as close is it has been for many many years, and you *can* tell that it is bigger and brighter, even if it isn't by a huge amount..  That if you understand the relative motions of the moon and the earth (and Venus, etc), you can easily predict where it is and how bright... and so on..

Yes some folks are different and enjoy different things - some of us are very interested in reality, not sodding YouTube and facechat and snapbook and twatter....  we choose real life, and observing and understanding the world and environment and universe we live in.  (That way we don't have to invent paranormal silliness to explain the wonder and mysteries that surrounds us..  the REAL ones...)

 

But enjoy your youtube, I'm sure that any moment there will be another video as good as that one where the monkey  .... 

vive la difference!

And may I ask, did you have a traumatic experience once where someone made you expect you would see something really, really spectacular, and then when you saw it (eg the rather dull smudge of Halley's comet?), it didn't meet your expectations?  If so, I apologise on behalf of whoever got you too excited.

Edited by ChrLzs
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