THE Supermoon that rose into the sky on Tuesday night (17) was the protagonist of a partial lunar eclipse. In addition to being bigger and brighter, the Moon appeared “bitten” as the Earth’s shadow blocked the Sun’s light on part of its surface.
The combination of these two phenomena happened about a month after a rare combination of a Supermoon and a Blue Moon in mid-August. And it doesn’t end there: we should still be able to observe two more Supermoons this year in October and November.
What is a Supermoon?
Supermoons are the largest and brightest lunar events of the year. They occur when a full Moon coincides with the moment when the satellite is at its closest point to Earth (perigee), since the Moon’s orbit around the Earth is not a perfect circle, but an elliptical path.
Although there are different definitions for this, a full Moon that is at least 90% at perigee is generally considered a Supermoon. Our satellite can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter at perigee than when it is at its furthest point from the planet, known as apogee.
During each 27-day orbit around Earth, the Moon reaches perigee when it is about 363,300 km from Earth and apogee when it is about 405,500 km from our planet. However, the exact distance between these points varies, and some supermoons can come closer than others.
Supermoons occur three to four times a year, always consecutively.
When are the next Supermoons of 2024?
The remaining two Supermoons of the year occur in October 17th and November 15th.
The event already appeared in our sky on August 19 and now on September 17. However, the October Supermoon is expected to be the biggest and brightest of all.
See photos of this September’s partial supermoon eclipse
Why is the sky more orange? Drought and pollution help explain
This content was originally published in When will the next Supermoons of 2024 happen? on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil

Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.