The Biggest Supermoon of the Year will be visible in Brazil this Thursday (17)

This Thursday night (17) will host another spectacle for astronomy fans: the largest Supermoon of 2024 will be visible in the night sky. This event is the Moon’s At full stage, it is at perigee, the closest point in its orbit to Earth.

The forecast is that the satellite will rise above the horizon in Brazil around 6:30 pm (Brasília time). It is useful to remember It is possible to admire the Super Moon with the naked eyewithout the need for any space equipment, such as a telescope.

This is the third Supermoon of the year; the first two took place in August and September. The fourth and final Supermoon of 2024 is expected to appear on November 15.

What is a supermoon?

A common Full Moon is when the Sun and Moon align on opposite sides of the Earth, completely illuminating the visible face of the satellite. A supermoon occurs during the full moon phase, when the Moon is closest to the Earth, leaving it at an angle of 100 degrees. It is 8% larger and 16% brighter than a ‘normal’ full moon.

This is because the Moon’s orbit is elliptical, meaning the satellite is sometimes farther or closer to Earth. When the Moon is closest to us, it is approximately 363,300 kilometers away (average distance is 384,400 kilometers).

The term originated in the late 1970s, when American astrologer Richard Nolle published an article in the journal Dell Horoscope (which is no longer available in 2024). According to him, a supermoon occurs when “a New Moon or Full Moon occurs in a given orbit when the Moon is at or near (within 90%) its closest position to the Earth.”

Because it was born as a non-scientific term, there is still disagreement among researchers as to the exact distance of the Moon from Earth that defines a supermoon.

So, will you be observing today’s Supermoon? If so, send us a photo of this phenomenon via TecMundo’s social networks!