It's Time to Stare at the Sky: September's Big and Bright Supermoon Will Be Visible in Australia Tonight
You won't be able to see the partial lunar eclipse Down Under, but the latest supermoon is still lighting up the sky.
If you're fond of staring at the heavens with your own two eyes to see a stunning sight, you'll want to spend Wednesday, September 18, 2024 looking up. A supermoon is upon us, with the best time to see it arriving just after sunset Down Under — so if you train your peepers upwards this evening, you'll be in for a glowing show.
While super full moons aren't particularly rare — several usually happen each year, and one occurred just last month — there is a good reason to peer upwards this time around. If you're wondering why, we've run through the details below.
NASA/Joel Kowsky
What Is It?
If you're more familiar with The Mighty Boosh's take on the moon than actual lunar terms, here's what you need to know. As we all learned back in November 2016, a supermoon is a new moon or full moon that occurs when the moon reaches the closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, making it particularly bright. They're not all that uncommon — and because September 2024's supermoon is a full moon (and not a new moon), it's called a super full moon.
It's also a harvest moon, too, which refers to the time of year in the northern hemisphere, because this is when the autumn harvest tends to begin in the other half of the world. Of course, that doesn't apply in the southern hemisphere, but the name still sticks.
When Can I See It?
As mentioned above, your best time to look at the harvest supermoon is from sunset on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. The moon always appears full for a few days, however, so if you already thought that the night sky looked a little brighter this week, that's why.
To catch a glimpse, you'll want to peek outside when it gets dark to feast your eyes on a luminous lunar sight. Head over to timeanddate.com for the relevant moonrise and moonset times for your area.
In Sydney, the moon rises at 6pm on Wednesday and sets at 6.19am on Thursday. Those times for Melbourne are 6.26pm Wednesday and 6.43am Thursday, while Brisbane's are 5.53pm Wednesday and at 6.13am Thursday. In Perth, it's 6.26pm Wednesday and 6.44am Thursday, while Adelaide's are 6.23pm Wednesday and 6.40am Thursday.
Where Can I See It?
You can take a gander from your backyard or balcony, but the standard advice regarding looking into the night sky always applies — so city-dwellers will want to get as far away from light pollution as possible to get the absolute best view.
Also, if you've heard about the supermoon partial lunar eclipse, sadly that's not visible from Australia — but you can watch it online from 11am AEST Down Under.
Via NASA / timeanddate.com. Top image: Andrew C.
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