On Monday evening, an exceptional super Moon will light up the sky – The Point

This is a super Moon not like the others that will arise in the sky on November 14. Nothing like this had been seen for nearly 70 years ! Of the Earth, the Moon will appear in more big than it had been since January 26, 1948. Without the moon of the century, it will be an ” extra-super Moon “. To understand the phenomenon that will not happen before the November 25, 2034, it is necessary first to examine the circumstances that lead to a super Moon ” classic “. It is the combination of a full moon phase and the time when the Moon is nearly at perigee, the place of its orbit the nearest to the Earth. Because the orbit of the Moon, which revolves around our planet in a little under 28 days, is not circular, but ellip tic ; so that it operates at a distance from the Earth of between about 356 000 km (perigee) and 406 700 km (apogee).

” This phenomenon of super Moon, that astronomers call the Moon’s perigee, is relatively common : it occurs on the average every year and forty-eight days, ” says Pascal Descamps of the Institut de mécanique céleste et de calcul des éphémérides at The Observatoire de Paris. But then why does this super Moon will be closer — and thus seemingly larger – than so many others ? “Is that the moon’s orbit is the most complex and most disturbed. It deforms continuously, significantly and over very short periods. This makes it very difficult to study. Like other parameters, the perigee moon is so changeable : the distance to the Earth varies, ” says the astronomer. This is the result of a set of gravitational perturbations related to the Sun, to the planets, but also to the fact that the Earth is not perfectly spherical…

Lift up your eyes to heaven to 18 h 30

Monday, November 14, at 12: 21 pm French time, the Moon will perigee at a distance of 356 509 kilometres away from the Earth (compared to 356 461 kilometers in 1948 and the 356 445 2034). Two hours and thirty one minutes later, it will enter in its phase of full moon at 14: 52. Unfortunately, in metropolitan France, it will not be broken yet and it will have to wait for 17 h 42 to be able to begin to observe if, and only if weather conditions permit. According to the Observatory of Paris, the better will be the same to wait until 18: 30. For delighting in the spectacle, no equipment will be necessary, even if it has to be said that the human eye alone is not able to capture the difference in apparent size between this super Moon, and another… And if the clouds come to spoil the party ? You can always have a glimpse of the show live with the broadcast images (below), by the specialized site Slooh, space for everyone.