Supermoon to light up Port Douglas sky tonight
SUPERMOON
THE 21st century’s biggest moon will light up the Port Douglas sky tonight.
The ‘extra-supermoon’ will begin to rise at 5.51pm AEST and will be the closest full moon to Earth since 1948. There will not be another full moon like this until 2034.
According to NASA, tonight’s supermoon will be as much as 14 per cent closer to Earth and will shine up to 30 per cent brighter.
Noah Petro, deputy project scientist for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission, said the moon will rise at almost the same time as sunset tonight, forecast for 6.29pm in Port Douglas.
“Since the moon is full, it’ll rise at nearly the same time as sunset, so I’d suggest that you head outside after sunset, or once it’s dark and the moon is a bit higher in the sky. You don’t have to stay up all night to see it, unless you really want to!”
The moon will rise in the east, meaning the sands of Four Mile Beach could be the best vantage point to take in this natural phenomenon.
And if you can’t catch it tonight, don’t fret. Astronomer and writer for Australasian Science magazine, David Reneke, said there’d be a second chance on Tuesday night.
"The full moon becomes technically a full moon in-between the two days, Monday and Tuesday, if people wanted to try again on Tuesday evening they should see pretty much the same thing," Reneke told the ABC.
He said meteor showers were also expected on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“All in one week we have a pretty good sky.”
Will you be watching tonight's supermoon? Send your snaps into Newsport at editor@newsport.com.au and we'll publish the best images!
