Amid what is sure to be another sweltering night, the UK will be treated to the sight of the last supermoon of the year.
The full moon – known as the Sturgeon moon – is set to rise this evening and will appear bigger and brighter in the sky.
Technically, the moon won’t hit its peak until 2:35am tomorrow (Friday) morning.
At this point it will be high in the sky and won’t realistically look all that much bigger to human eyes than it would during any other month.
But if you look for the moon soon after its risen later this evening, you may benefit from an illusion that sometimes makes our natural satellite look bigger.
‘Supermoons’ take place when a full moon coincides — or comes close to coinciding — with the moon’s ‘perigee’: the point in its orbit where it’s closest to Earth.
The moon’s orbit is elliptical, swinging between 253,000 and 226,000 miles away from our planet over a month. On Thursday, it will be around 223,600 miles from the Earth’s centre when it passes the meridian.
What time will the full moon be visible?
This evening the moon will rise at 8.54pm in London, before setting at 5.34am tomorrow morning.
If you’re in the north, timings will be a bit different. In Edinburgh, it will rise around 9.30pm and set at 5.25am Friday, according to timeanddate.com.
Why is it called the ‘Sturgeon moon’?
August’s full moon is often known as the ‘Sturgeon moon’ because it took place around the time Native Americans in some regions would historically catch very large numbers of the fish, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Each of the year’s full moons has an accompanying title, often derived from these old Native American names.
If you’re not sure what a sturgeon is, it’s a prehistoric-looking fish that can be traced back to around 136 million years ago. There are currently 29 different species of sturgeon worldwide.
Full moon dates 2022
Here are the dates and times for the rest of the full moons taking place this year, according to The Royal Observatory.
September 10 (10.59am) – Corn/Harvest moon
October 9 (9.55pm) – Hunter’s moon
November 8 (11.02am) – Beaver moon
December 8 (4.08am) – Cold moon
How to photograph the super Sturgeon moon
‘Since the moon – especially a full moon – is so bright, it’s important not to overexpose,’ explains Kain Jones from Pixys.
‘To get a great shot of a full moon, set your camera to its base ISO, which is usually ISO 100. Set the aperture to ƒ/11, and adjust your shutter speed to 1/100.
‘Start with these settings, then have a play around, adjusting them based on the brightness of the moon.
‘If the image comes out too bright, set a faster shutter speed like 1/200, or if it’s too dim, set a longer shutter speed like 1/60. You can also use a wider aperture like ƒ/8 or ƒ/5.6 to capture more light, or increase the ISO to ISO 200 or 400.’
What is a supermoon?
‘Supermoons’ take place when a full moon coincides — or comes close to coinciding — with the moon’s ‘perigee’: the point in its orbit where it’s closest to Earth.
The moon’s orbit is elliptical, swinging between 253,000 and 226,000 miles away from our planet over a month.
This evening (or, very early tomorrow morning) it will be around 223,600 miles from the Earth’s centre when it passes the meridian.
Astronomers would call full moons that take place on or around the closest point of orbit ‘perigeal’, or even an example of ‘perigee syzygy.’ But these terms aren’t quite as catchy as 1970s-coined ‘supermoon’.
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