Sunday’s full moon should be the most beautiful of the next 20 … – Galileo

 Admirers of the moon can not help but look at it next Sunday, August 10: Our natural satellite will be 30% brighter and 14% larger than normal. The phenomenon is popularly known as superlua, and occurs when the star reaches its full phase near the perigee, the point in the lunar orbit located closest to the Earth.

 The reason this type of approach is the elliptical shape of the orbit, which is 50,000 km closer to our planet at perigee compared to the apogee, the farthest point. The event superlua is not unusual – it happens every 14 months, but this time the difference between the perigee and the full moon will be minimal, only 27 minutes. According to astrophysicist Gustavo Lanfranchi, this should only be repeated in 20 years.

 Difference between the full moon phase and perigee will be only 27 minutes

 “Even so, in 2034 the event is not very near the beginning of the night will be around 22h,” says Lanfranchi. In June last year, the phenomenon occurred around 11 am. On Sunday, the perigee will be at 17h43 and 18h10 at the full moon, which creates an almost perfect situation for observing, if weather conditions cooperate. “The size of the moon appears larger near the horizon, so the effect will be much more intense,” he says.

 Throughout the night, as our natural satellite is getting higher in the sky, the impression will be lost, so the ideal time for contemplation is in the late afternoon. If on the day you are in some rural area, try to observe the moon in the background of some tree: have some reference point seems to amplify the perception of size. The same goes for cities with homes and buildings that give a special charm to the scene. “If you see the pictures of superlua, the most beautiful are those with buildings close by,” says astrophysicist.

 If interest in the subject, check out and get around this table of the Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon. The agency informs in detail, among other data, the exact day and hour of all superluas 2050, detailing the times of full moon and lunar perigee. The most promising phenomena are underlined in red.