The last supermoon of 2023 will be visible from the night of Friday (September 29) to Saturday (September 30), when our natural satellite will be closest to Earth and it will be possible to observe “the most intense moonlight”, explains to PÚBLICO Máximo Ferreira, director of Centro Ciência Viva de Constância.

The Moon’s orbit is slightly elliptical, which means that “the Moon, from time to time, is a little closer” to Earth, a phenomenon called perigee, as previously explained by Ricardo Reis, of the Science Communications Group at the Science Institute. Astrophysics and space sciences. Furthermore, it is known that “the Moon takes about a month to orbit around the Earth, which means we experience a full moon almost every month.” The supermoon, in turn, occurs “when the full moon coincides with this point of closest approach, i.e. perigee,” according to the expert.

NASA also explains that the full moon will reach peak illumination at 5:58 a.m. on September 29 in New York, that is, during Friday morning in mainland Portugal (at 10:58 a.m.), which means that sunlight will prevent it from being observed at that time – and therefore The best time to observe the supermoon in our country is during the night from Friday to Saturday, when the satellite is fully illuminated.

“Corn Moon” or “Harvest Moon”

The year 2023 is characterized by four supermoons, three of which have already occurred: the first was visible at the beginning of July and the other two at the beginning and end of August – according to astronomers’ estimates, it is the closest to Earth on August 31, at a distance of 357,344 kilometers, which also corresponds to a “blue moon.” “.

The last giant moon of the year, which is called the “Corn Moon” or “Harvest Moon,” will be 361,700 kilometers from Earth, according to Maximo Ferreira, that is, about 22,000 kilometers closer to Earth. The average distance between the Earth and the Moon (which is about 384 thousand kilometers).

a NASA It also indicates that September’s supermoon will appear about 5% larger and 13% brighter than a full moon, on average. But in practice, says Maximo Ferreira, it would be difficult to see with the naked eye that the Moon would be larger, although it is possible to estimate the more intense moonlight.

The name “Harvest Moon” is a reference to the harvest season In the northern hemisphereThe phenomenon occurs near the beginning of the fall season, or the autumn equinox, which this year occurred on September 23. Moon shine, notice the CNN, Help farmers work at night.

The station adds that many planets will also be visible in the night sky, including Saturn and Jupiter. To observe what will be the last supermoon of the year, all you have to do is look at the sky, and it is advisable to stay in a place free of light pollution.