Supermoon will give us the closest view in 69 years
Skywatchers will be in for a treat tonight (Monday evening) as the supermoon will see the moon's closest approach to Earth since 1948.
The moon is set to rise at 4.43pm in Edinburgh and 4.44pm in London, so this is the time to be watching the skies, reports the BBC.
See also: Rare moonbow photographed over Yorkshire
See also: Amazing pics of 2012's supermoon across the globe
The moon will appear 14 per cent larger than normal and about 30 per cent brighter -and it won't be this close again until 25 November 2034.
If you want to get the best view, pick a spot with the least light pollution as possible. Speaking to the Telegraph, Paul Thomsett, chairman of the South East Kent Astronomical Society said: "As long as the skies are clear and you have a good view to the south you will have no trouble seeing our nearest celestial neighbour blazing in the night sky."
According to Earth Sky, last month's full moon – on October 16, 2016 – was also a supermoon. But, it says, "the November full moon is even more super! In other words, the time of full moon falls even closer to the time of the moon's closest point to Earth".
According to Wikipedia, a supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in the largest apparent size of the lunar disk as seen from Earth.
The technical name is the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. The term "supermoon" is not astronomical, but originated in modern astrology.
The association of the moon with both oceanic and crustal tides has led to claims that the supermoon phenomenon may be associated with increased risk of events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, but the evidence of such a link is widely held to be unconvincing.
However, one man predicted on Facebook that New Zealand could experience this week's earthquakes, linking the event to the supermoon.
Occasionally, a supermoon coincides with a total lunar eclipse. The most recent occurrence of this was in September 2015, while the next time will be in October 2033.
The closest supermoon of the century will occur on December 6, 2052.
