Before 2016 Ends "SuperMoon" Will Lighten Your Year

2016 is close to an end but before it ends, "supermoon" will enlighten your year as the moon makes a history in our time for it will be at it's closest point to Earth in three consecutive months.

What is Supermoon?

Supermoon is a full moon or new moon with 90% of its closest approach to the planet Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in a larger view of it. 

The term "supermoon" is a term from modern astrology and its technical name is the perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system. The opposite phenomenon of this is called an "apogee-syzygy".

"Perigee" is the one side of the elliptical orbit that is about 30,000 miles closer to the earth while "syzygy" is the scientific name for when the Earth, the sun, and moon line up as the moon orbits Earth.

When perigee-syzygy of the Earth-moon-sun system occurs and the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun, we get a perigee moon or more commonly, a supermoon!

"Supermoon" will lighten your year-end

The supermoon phenomenon will occur three consecutive months of 2016. The first was on October 16, next will be on November 14 and December 14.

The full moon of November 14 will be "extra-supermoon" as it becomes full within about 2 hours of perigee. This is not only the closest full moon of 2016 but also the closest full moon to date in the 21st century and this will happen again on November 25, 2034.

December's supermoon is remarkable for it's going to wipe out the view of the Geminid meteor shower. Bright moonlight will reduce the visibility of faint meteors five to ten fold, transforming the usually fantastic Geminids into an astronomical footnote. Sky watchers will be lucky to see a dozen Geminids per hour when the shower peaks.

A supermoon is undeniably beautiful so don't miss it! It can be as much as 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than an apogee full moon. So mark your calendar on October 16, November 14, and December 14.