Sky watchers get a 'supermoon' treat (+ photos)

Photo / Tony Cooper

A "supermoon" early yesterday was seen all around the world.

Supermoon is the term coined by astrologers and accepted by some scientists for when the moon is full and passes relatively close to the Earth.

It looks larger and brighter due to its proximity to the Earth.

Auckland Astronomical Society president Grant Christie enjoyed the supermoon as it sank in the western sky. "It was a very nice view. I watched it as it was setting in the dawn. It was certainly the largest you would expect to see. Larger also means brighter."

Supermoons occur because the moon's orbit around the Earth is slightly elliptical, so its distance from the Earth varies between about 356,000km and 406,000km. The closest point in each orbit is called the perigee.

Dr Christie, an engineer and an amateur astronomer, said the Earth-moon distance at perigees varied by up to 13,900km, which might seem a great distance but was small in comparison to the actual distance to the moon.

"The notable thing about this perigee full moon is that it was the closest since 1993."

Dr Christie said he had checked records back to 1840 and found the closest was in 1912. He said yesterday's full moon was at 7.30am, three minutes before the moon set. The perigee occurred at 8.10am.

The internet is full of warnings of floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to be caused by the supermoon.