Monday, April 26, 2021
The Perigee Moon ("Super Moon") of Tuesday April 27, What Can You See?
 |  |  |
| Looking north-east after Full Moon on Tuesday, 27 April at 23:00 ACST (strictly Full Moon is at 1:30 ACST and Perigee at 1:00 am ACST on the 28th). | Full Moon April 27 14:00 AEST (shown at 18:00 AEST), perigee April 28 2:00 AEST (+ 11h from full) | Full Moon December 19 15:00 Moon at apogee 18th -26h |
A Full Moon is a perigee Moon when the Full Moon is closest to the Earth. This tuesdays Perigee Full Moon (April 26) is not as good as the May 26 perigee Moon/lunar eclipse but is still very good. Don't look just at Moon rise as the horizon illusion will make the Moon look bigger than it is (even though it will look spectacular), wait until it is a decent way above the horizon.
You won't see much of a difference if you compare it with your memory of last months full Moon (March 10, which was also a perigee Moon, but a poor one). You will need to either remember the the October 31/November 1 apogee Moon from last year or wait for the apogee Moon of December 19 (see above images) for the best size contrast. Perigee is at 1 am on the 28th, so you need to stay up late to see the Moon at its best (and for the best astrophotography).
A full Moon at perigee has been called a "Super Moon", this is not an astronomical term (the astronomical term is perigee syzygy, but that doesn't trip off the tongue so nicely), but an astrological one first coined in 1979 (see here).
Still, it is a good excuse to get people out and looking at the Moon. A guide to photographing the Perigee Full Moon is here.
Labels: astrophotography, Moon, perigee, public outreach
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
Click to read about or order
