5 new supermoons in a row in 2024

According to astrophysicist Fred Espenak – formerly at the Goddard Space Flight Center and best known for his work on eclipse predictions – the January 11, 2024, new moon, at 11:57 UTC (6:57 a.m. CST), is the first in a series of five new moon supermoons in a row.

A new moon is a moon passing between Earth and the sun. And a new supermoon is an exceptionally close new moon. Fred Espenak’s new supermoon table gives us these values – dates and moon distances – for new supermoons in 2024. Contrast these moon distances to the average moon distance of 238,900 miles (384,472 km).

Note dates are based on UTC time so some supermoons may fall on the previous date your local time.

Jan 11: 226,927 miles (365,204 kilometers)
Feb 09: 222,913 miles (358,744 kilometers)
Mar 10: 221,767 miles (356,899 kilometers)
Apr 08: 223,575 miles (359,809 kilometers)
May 08: 227,881 miles (366,739 kilometers)

The new supermoon of March 10, 2024, will be the closest new supermoon for 2024.

And the new supermoon of April 8, 2024, will be the moon that passes in front of the sun causing a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

We had five new supermoons in a row in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. And 2023 had three new supermoons in a row (January, February, March) joining two in late 2022 … making them our most recent five-in-a-row series.

The 2024 lunar calendars are here! Best New Year’s gifts in the universe! Check ’em out here.

What are new supermoons?

It was the astrologer Richard Nolle who coined the term supermoon in 1979. He defines a supermoon as “a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit.” By using this somewhat vague definition, we can say any new moon or full moon coming to within 224,000 miles (361,000 km) of our planet, as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth, counts as a supermoon.

In contrast to full supermoons, which draw a lot of attention and are very popular, new supermoons don’t attract much attention. That’s because you can’t see a new moon. A new moon is between the sun and Earth. It rises and sets with the sun and is lost in the sun’s glare all day. What’s more, the unlit side of a new moon faces Earth, while the lit side (as always) faces the sun. But you might see a very young moon in the western sky briefly after sunset on the evening following a new moon.

By the way, astronomers use also use the term perigean new moon to describe a new moon at perigee, or closest to Earth. When we called them that, nobody paid much attention to them. Supermoon is much catchier!

The exceptionally close new supermoon in January 2023

According to Fred Espenak, the January 21, 2023, new supermoon fell during what he calls an ultimate new moon perigee. Fred Espenak defines an ultimate new moon perigee as when a new moon is less than or equal to 221,580 miles (356,600 km) from Earth. There are only two ultimate new moon perigees this century, according to Fred, and the first one happened on January 10, 2005.

A chart by Fred Espenak on this page indicates that the January 21, 2023, new moon supermoon was the last ultimate new moon perigee for this century. And it was the closest new supermoon until December 14, 2145.

When you can see a new moon

To clarify, it’s not always true that you can’t see a new moon. At favorable times, you can view the new moon silhouette, for example, during a solar eclipse. When the new moon goes directly between the Earth and sun, the result is either a total solar eclipse or an annular eclipse, in which a ring of sunshine surrounds the new moon silhouette. The new moon is closer to Earth at a total solar eclipse and farther away from Earth during an annular eclipse.

The new supermoon of April 8, 2024, will block out the sun causing a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

Earth’s oceans feel new supermoons

And although, generally speaking, we can’t see a new moon, Earth’s oceans feel its impact. At new moon or full moon, the sun, Earth and moon align in space. The gravitational pull on Earth’s oceans is always greatest at such times. These are the spring tides, the highest (and lowest) tides coming twice each month (in contrast to the neap tides, when the variation between high and low tide is at its least, which happen around first and last quarter moon).

A new or full moon at perigee accentuates the spring tides. It creates what some call king tides, or exceptionally high tides, which are noticeable to those living along coastlines.

So, people living along the ocean shorelines might notice the variation in high and low tides for the coming months, around the dates of new moon: in 2024, January 11, February 9, March 10, April 8 and May 8.

One way or another, new supermoons have an impact, whether we see the moon on these days or not!

Bottom line: Starting January 11, 2024, we will have five new moon supermoons in a row. The April 8, 2024, new supermoon will result in a total solar eclipse of the sun.

Resources:

Moon at perigee and apogee: 2001 to 2100

Phases of the moon: 2001 to 2100

Four keys to understanding moon phases

Why no eclipse at every new moon?

The post 1st of 5 new supermoons in a row starting today first appeared on EarthSky.

Mars oppositions are not created equal

The diagram above – from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) – shows why Mars varies in brightness from one opposition to the next. The diagram represents the orbits of Earth and Mars as viewed from above the solar system. RASC explains:

Straight lines link simultaneous positions of the two planets for eight successive oppositions of Mars, beginning with that of the year 2018. The separation of the two planets in astronomical units (Earth-sun units, or AU) at the various oppositions is indicated beside each of the connecting lines.

The months inside of Earth’s orbit indicate the position of Earth during the year (both planets orbit counterclockwise).

For each orbit, two tick marks labeled A and P indicate the aphelion point and the perihelion point, respectively. The direction of the vernal equinox is shown (toward the late-September position of Earth). Around the orbit of Mars is indicated its declination (ranges between +27° and 28°) and the constellation in which Mars resides when at opposition.

More info about this chart

The RASC continued:

Four views of Mars are shown: at its two equinoxes and two solstices. These views show the portion of Mars illuminated by the sun, the location and approximate size of its north polar cap, and the apparent size of Mars (labeled in arcseconds) for oppositions occurring at these points in its orbit.

The seasons of the Martian northern hemisphere are indicated around the outer margin of the diagram, and are very nearly one season ahead of those on Earth at the same orbital position. (For the southern hemisphere of Mars, the season and the configuration of the south polar cap are the same as those of the diametrically opposite view.) Note that the maximum angular diameter Mars can attain (25 arcseconds) occurs near its perihelion, at a late-August opposition.

As an example of the information that can be read from this diagram: The next opposition of Mars occurs in mid-January 2025 with Mars located near declination +25° near the Cancer-Gemini border, 0.64 AU from Earth, and about 15 arcseconds in diameter. It will be spring in the Martian northern hemisphere and the north polar cap will be obvious.

The 2025, 2027, and 2029 oppositions of Mars occur with Mars near aphelion and Earth not far from perihelion, thus they are not favorable. They do occur with Mars north of the celestial equator, good for observers in mid-northern latitudes, but at the times of those three oppositions the observing weather can be cold and cloudy.

Bottom line: Here’s a classic Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) diagram by Roy L. Bishop. It shows Mars oppositions from 2018 to 2033. The diagram lets you see why Mars is brighter at some oppositions than others … And we are honored to host it here.

The post Chart showing Mars oppositions from 2018 to 2033 first appeared on EarthSky.

4 full supermoons in a row in 2023

According to astrophysicist Fred Espenak – formerly at the Goddard Space Flight Center and best known for his work on eclipse predictions – the full moon on the American overnight of July 2-3, 2023, was the first in a series of four full supermoons in a row.

These were the dates for 2023:

July 2-3 overnight
August 1 morning or evening
August 30-31 overnight
September 28-29 overnight

Note: The dates above are most suited to the Americas, Europe and Africa. Elsewhere in the world – depending on where you live – some supermoons might fall on slightly different dates.

What are supermoons?

A full moon happens when the moon (in its monthly orbit) is on the opposite side of Earth from the sun. A full supermoon happens when the full moon happens at – or near – the time the moon is closest to us in its elliptical orbit. Fred Espenak’s full supermoon table provided dates and distances for full supermoons in 2023. Contrast these moon distances to the average moon distance of 238,900 miles (384,472 km).

July 2-3: 224,895 miles (361,934 km)
August 1: 222,158 miles (357,530 km)
August 30-31: 222,043 miles (357,344 km)
September 28-29: 224,658 miles (361,552 km)

By the way, 2024 will have four full supermoons in a row as well on August 19, September 18, October 17 and November 15.

What are full supermoons?

It was the astrologer Richard Nolle who coined the term supermoon in 1979. He defines a supermoon as:

a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit.

However, different websites calculate supermoons differently. EarthSky uses supermoon dates as determined by astronomer Fred Espenak. Additionally, his method of calculating supermoons takes into account changes in the moon’s orbit during each lunar cycle.

Of course, full supermoons draw a lot of attention and are very popular.

But … do supermoons look brighter than ordinary full moons? Yes! By a noticeable amount. That’s because a supermoon exceeds the disk size of an average-sized moon by up to 8% and the brightness of an average-sized full moon by some 16%. And then, it exceeds the disk size of a micro-moon (a year’s most distant and therefore smallest full moon) up to 14% and the brightness of a micro-moon by some 30%. So, go outside on the night of a full supermoon. Even if you’re a casual observer of the moon, there’s a chance you’ll notice the supermoon is exceptionally bright!

By the way, before the term supermoon caught on, we in astronomy called these moons perigean full moons, or perigean new moons. No doubt about it, supermoon is catchier.

The exceptionally close August 2023 full supermoon

The supermoon of August 30-31, 2023, was the closest full supermoon this year when it was 222,043 miles (357,344 km) from Earth. And it also was a monthly Blue Moon. In astronomy, a Blue Moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. By the way, the next monthly Blue Moon is not until May 31, 2026. And the next time we’ll have a closer full supermoon is November 5, 2025, when the moon lies 221,817 miles (356,980 km) from Earth.

Earth’s oceans feel supermoons

At new moon or full moon, the sun, Earth and moon align in space. The gravitational pull on Earth’s oceans is always greatest at such times. These are the spring tides, the highest (and lowest) tides coming twice each month (in contrast to the neap tides, when the variation between high and low tide is at its least, which happen around first and last quarter moon).

A new or full moon at perigee accentuates the spring tides. It creates what some call king tides, or exceptionally high tides, which are noticeable to those living along coastlines.

So, people living along the ocean shorelines might notice the variation in high and low tides for the coming months, around the dates of full moon.

One way or another, supermoons have an impact, even if it’s just enjoying the sight of a bright moon!

Bottom line: We had four full supermoons in a row in 2023. The last one for this year is tonight. Supermoons look brighter than ordinary full moons.

Via AstroPixels: Moon at perigee and apogee: 2001 to 2100

Via AstroPixels: Phases of the moon: 2001 to 2100

Read more: Four keys to understanding moon phases

Why is there no eclipse every full moon?

The post Last of 4 full supermoons for 2023 is tonight first appeared on EarthSky.

Can you still see new comet Nishimura now? Click here for info

Thanks for the Comet Nishimura photos!

A new comet – Nishimura – has been up in the east before sunrise, not far from the brightest planet, Venus. And our EarthSky community has been ready with cameras, capturing it as it makes its way to the sun that binds it in its 435-year orbit. Enjoy these incredible photos. And if you have a photo of Nishimura to share, submit it to us here.

The comet has been getting brighter, but – as of September 10, 2023 – it’s about to be drowned in the glare of morning dawn. Read about Comet Nishimura.

Photos of Comet Nishimura from September

Photos of Comet Nishimura from August

How fast is C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) moving?

Bottom line: Check out these great photos of Comet Nishimura from the EarthSky community. The comet is going into the sun’s glare now, but you might still be able to catch it! If you do catch an image, please submit it to the EarthSky community page.

The post Photos of Comet Nishimura from around the world first appeared on EarthSky.

See photos of the August 30-31 blue supermoon here!

The best thing about stargazing is there’s always something cool to see. For example, on the overnight of August 30-31, 2023, you can see the moon and Saturn pair up. What’s more, both of them are at their biggest and brightest for 2023!

A full supermoon and Blue Moon near Saturn

The August 30-31, 2023, a Blue Moon will light up the sky. It’s the 3rd of 4 supermoons in a row. And it will be the closest (biggest) full supermoon in 2023! It may not look bigger to the eye, but it’ll sure look brighter.

How close is it? The moon will be 222,043 miles (357,344 km) away. Comparatively, the average distance between Earth and the moon is 240,000 miles (386,242 km).

Then, look for a bright point of light near the moon; that’s the beautiful planet Saturn.

You don’t need any optical aid to enjoy this lovely pairing of the moon and Saturn. At their closest, the duo will be two degrees – the width of four full moons – apart.

Saturn just reached opposition

Why is Saturn at its brightest now? That’s because Saturn reached opposition, when we flew between Saturn and the sun, on August 27. So it’s in a wonderful place to see now, rising in the east in the evening and setting in the west at sunrise.

At opposition, the ringed planet shines at its brightest for 2023, at magnitude 0.4. It’s also when Saturn is at its least distance from Earth for 2023. It’s 73 light-minutes (about 8.8 astronomical units) away.

Saturn’s disk size is largest now, appearing 19 arcseconds across. And Saturn’s rings are tilted by 8.1 degrees, relative to earthly viewers. They span 44.2 arcseconds.

Thus, opposition marks the middle of the best time of year to see Saturn, or any outer planet. And any small backyard telescope will show the rings of Saturn.

Bottom line: Look for the full moon near Saturn – it’s a supermoon and a Blue Moon – on the overnight of August 30-31, 2023. Both Saturn and the moon at their biggest and brightest in 2023.

For more great observing events in the coming weeks, visit EarthSky’s night sky guide

The post Full Blue Moon near Saturn: It’s a supermoon on August 30-31 first appeared on EarthSky.

See the moon near Mars

The waxing crescent moon will pass by Mars on the nights of August 18 and 19, 2023. It’ll be closest to Mars on the evening of August 18. At their closest, the moon will be 2 degrees – the width of four full moons – apart.

Mars has a roughly two-year cycle of visibility in our sky. And, for much of that cycle, it’s faint and inconspicuous. But – for a period of about six months, every couple of years – Mars brightens and appears quite red. It happens around the time Earth passes between Mars and the sun. And that happened in December 2022.

We passed between the sun and Mars on December 8, 2022, when Mars reached opposition. Now, we’re about as far away from Mars as we can get, in our smaller, faster orbit. As a matter of fact, right now Mars is on the opposite side of the solar system from us. It’s 2.45 astronomical units (AU) from us and has faded from its recent opposition of magnitude -1.9 to its current magnitude +1.77. While Mars is still brighter than most stars, it’ll remain faint until it begins to slowly brighten again later next year.

Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. So, to see a precise view from your location, try Stellarium Online.

The waxing crescent moon

The very slender waxing crescent moon will be about two days old on August 18 and shining at magnitude -9.5. And then on August 19, a slightly thicker crescent moon will be shining at magnitude -10.2.

One of the reasons a young, thin crescent moon is so beautiful is because of the glow on the unlit portion of the moon known as earthshine. That pale glow on the dark side of a crescent moon is light reflected from Earth. Can you see that subtle – but lovely – glow?

Bottom line: After sunset on the evenings of August 18 and 19, 2023, look for a thin crescent moon near the planet Mars.

The post Moon near Mars after sunset on August 18 and 19 first appeared on EarthSky.

DART asteroid impact had unwelcome consequences

The DART spacecraft’s deliberate impact with tiny asteroid moon Dimorphos – in September 2022 – was an exercise in planetary defense. Space scientists wanted to know if we could defend Earth against an asteroid on a collision course by knocking it off course. It was only a test. But the strategy worked. The spacecraft impact did nudge the asteroid, a little. But, according to UCLA astronomer Dave Jewitt and his team, the impact released a boulder storm.

A Hubble Space Telescope image of Dimorphos – captured in December 2022 – clearly shows a debris field of boulders blown from the asteroid’s surface. And, as Jewitt said in a statement in early August 2023:

The boulder swarm is like a cloud of shrapnel expanding from a hand grenade. Because those big boulders basically share the speed of the targeted asteroid, they’re capable of doing their own damage.

The peer-reviewed Astrophysical Journal Letters published Jewitt and team’s results in July, 2023.

Are these boulders a danger to Earth?

No. The DART mission took place over 6 million miles (about 10 million km) away. That’s more than 20 times the moon’s distance. So the boulders blown off the asteroid by the spacecraft aren’t near us in space. They’re no threat to us.

Still, Jewitt’s results are food for thought. After all, as Jewitt further explained:

… given the high speed of a typical impact, a 15-foot boulder hitting Earth would deliver as much energy as the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.

Protecting Earth was the goal of the DART mission. But Jewitt’s study found that 37 boulders flew from Dimorphos’ surface, into space, following the DART impact. The boulders range in size from 3 to 22 feet (1 to 6.7 meters). They are, essentially, new asteroids, and as such they’re potentially capable of striking Earth.

But, again, these particular boulders flung into space are no threat to Earth. If they were, Jewitt said:

They’d hit at the same speed the asteroid was traveling — fast enough to cause tremendous damage.

What DART did

The asteroid Dimorphos is tiny. It’s only about 581 feet (177 meters) in diameter. It became the designated target for the DART mission partly for that reason, and also due to its relative nearness to Earth.

DART stands for Double Asteroid Redirection Test. The DART spacecraft weighs in at a half-ton. So, scientists believed that smashing the spacecraft into the asteroid might change Dimorphos’ trajectory.

On September 26, 2022, DART crashed into Dimorphos at 13,000 mph (21,000 km/h). NASA confirmed that it reduced the orbit of Dimorphos around its companion asteroid Didymos by a few millimeters per second.

Boulders were on Dimorphos’ surface

Jewitt’s study determined the boulders probably flew off Dimorphos’ surface during the impact by DART.

Close-up images from DART shortly before impact indicated the surface had similarly sized rocks on its surface.

And, by the way – in the image at the top of this post – those small boulders captured by the Hubble Telescope are some of the faintest objects ever imaged in our solar system. Jewitt said:

If we follow the boulders in future Hubble observations, we might have enough data to pin down the boulders’ precise trajectories.

And then we’ll see in which directions they were launched from the surface and figure out exactly how they were ejected.

HERA will study Dimorphos, too

The European Space Agency’s HERA spacecraft will pass Dimorphos in December 2026. It’ll collect more data on the aftermath of the impact, including the boulders ejected from the asteroid. After all, the boulders will still be there then, traveling with Dimorphos in orbit around the sun.

And so HERA’s data are expected to help shape future strategies for planetary defense.

Bottom line: According to a recent study from UCLA, deliberately altering the course of an asteroid heading released a boulder storm.

Watch DART asteroid impact in Hubble movie

Source: The Dimorphos Boulder Swarm

VIA UCLA

The post How DART deflected an asteroid (but released a boulder swarm) first appeared on EarthSky.

Come to know the Teapot of Sagittarius

Our Milky Way galaxy is a vast collection of hundreds of billions of stars. We’re not in the galaxy’s center, but instead about 2/3s of the way out from center, in one of the Milky Way’s spiral arms. On August evenings, all of us on Earth can gaze toward the galaxy’s center in a dark sky. In fact, the band of the Milky Way gets broader and brighter in the direction toward the center. Plus, in that direction, you’ll find a famous asterism called the Teapot, in the constellation Sagittarius.

The Teapot’s pattern is distinctive. Once you spot it, it’s easy to imagine as an earthly teapot. You’ll find it southward on August evenings from the Northern Hemisphere, and overhead from the Southern Hemisphere.

Even if your sky isn’t dark, once you find the Teapot, you can use it to guide your mind’s eye to the star-rich center of our galaxy. A supermassive black hole lies at the galaxy’s heart. As a matter of fact, it has some 4 million times the mass of our sun. It’s called Sagittarius A* (Sagittarius A-Star).

How to spot the Teapot

You’ll want a fairly dark sky to find the Teapot (a suburban sky will likely work, if you’re not standing under a streetlight). You can see the Teapot even if you can’t see the starry band of the Milky Way. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, look southward on August evenings a couple of hours after sunset. If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, look overhead.

The Teapot and Sagittarius are best viewed during the evening hours from about July to September.

Want a more exact location for Sagittarius? Try Stellarium, which will let you set a date and time from your exact location on the globe.

The Teapot looks like its name

The constellation of Sagittarius is supposed to be a centaur, a mythical half man/half horse creature, carrying a bow and arrow. But good luck spotting the centaur in these stars.

On the other hand, the Teapot – unlike many star patterns – looks like its namesake. That’s because the Teapot appears to have a handle, spout and lid, as any earthly teapot would. And just be sure to head to a dark sky for your best views of this Milky Way region.

Once you’ve found the Teapot, assuming you have a dark sky, you can see “steam” billowing out of the spout. Gaze into the midst of this “steam” – into the thickest part of it – and you’ll be gazing toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

The Teapot is highest in the evening sky in August

Because the sun passes in front of Sagittarius from about December 18 to January 20, the Teapot isn’t visible then. However, about half a year later – on July 1 – the Teapot climbs to its highest point for the night around midnight (1 a.m. daylight saving time or DST), when it appears due south as seen from the Northern Hemisphere or due north as seen from the Southern Hemisphere. In August, the Teapot – and the Milky Way center – reach their highest points for the night during the evening hours.

By the way, another noteworthy point lies in the direction of the Teapot in space. It’s the point at which the sun shines on the December solstice around December 21 each year.

The center of our Milky Way

The center of our galaxy is some 30,000 light-years away. We can’t see directly into it, because this region is shrouded by dust and gas clouds. But studies of astronomers have shown that, when we look in this direction, we’re looking toward the supermassive black hole located at our galaxy’s heart. This black hole has some 4 million times our sun’s mass. It’s known as Sagittarius A*.

Now sweep the area around the Teapot with binoculars or a telescope. You’ll see many faint fuzzy objects pop into view. They’re star clusters and nebulae (gas clouds) located in the disk of our galaxy, in the direction toward the galaxy’s center.

So, find the Teapot on a dark night – when the moon is out of the way – and enjoy all it has to offer.

Bottom line: As you gaze toward the famous Teapot asterism in the constellation Sagittarius, you’re looking toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

The post Teapot of Sagittarius points to Milky Way center first appeared on EarthSky.