It is a spectacle that will delight astronomers and night owls. Wednesday, July 13 from 10 p.m. until 4:50 a.m. Thursday, you can observe a “super moon”. In other words, a Moon a little brighter than usual.
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The term “supermoon”, even if it is used by NASA, is not really an official astronomical term but it describes the situation of a full moon which is at its perigee, i.e. say that on its elliptical trajectory, it is at the point closest to the earth. On the night of Wednesday July 13 to Thursday July 14, it will be located 357,000 kilometers from our planet. That’s 30,000 miles closer than when it’s at its furthest point and should make it 17% larger and 30% brighter than the dimest Moon of the year. If you observe the rising of the Moon, in particular, you will have this impression that it has grown.
This phenomenon is more visible when the Moon rises because this moment is conducive to certain optical illusions because when this star is at horizon level, our brain plays tricks on us, explains Eric Lagadec, president of the Company. French astronomy and astrophysics. We see it more imposing than usual, because we have in the same field of vision
buildings, houses, trees and it is these elements of comparison of the landscape that make it more massive in our eyes, when it rises compared to the image that we have of it when it is isolated in the sky.
This “supermoon” will not especially prevent us from sleeping, unless we are bothered by the light of the moonlight. Regarding the impact of the full moon on sleep, science does not allow to decide, the studies are contradictory. Some claim that the quality of sleep is affected, others do not.
One thing is certain, however, this super moon will favor high tides. And for those who miss the show tonight, there will be a last supermoon on August 11, it will be the third and last of the year.