SUPER MOON. This Monday, July 3, don’t forget to look up at nightfall to admire the first Super Moon of 2023, also known as the “Super Thunder Moon”. Why this name and what effects? We tell you everything.
[Updated July 3, 2023 2:39 PM] The Super Thunder Moon, the first full moon of this summer, is observable in the night sky this Monday, July 3. Tonight, turn your gaze to the east just after sunset, so you can see the Super Thunder Moon. It will then appear 5.8% larger and 12.8% brighter than normal at the time of the “perigee-syzygy” phenomenon, when the Full Moon is at the point of its orbit closest to Earth.
The observation conditions will be all the more favorable depending on whether you are in a place far from air pollution. Do you need astronomical instruments? Why is it a Super Moon and what is the origin of its name? How far is it from Earth? All your questions answered below:
The Super Thunder Moon is so named by Native American tribes because it coincides with stormy season due to the high summer heat. It is also called Deer Moon in Native American tradition because deer antlers regrow at this time of year as well.
The Super Moon phenomenon is observable when the Full Moon is located at its perigee, the point in its orbit closest to Earth. The French had to keep their eyes peeled tonight to make the most of the spectacle of the Full Moon as the sun set. It will be observable all night.
The phenomenon dubbed “Super Moon” by astrologer Richard Nolle, but which scientists prefer to call the “perigee-syzygy phenomenon”, occurs when the point of the lunar orbit is at a minimum distance from Earth. When is the Moon closest to Earth? When located at a distance of less than 360,000 km (the average distance between the Earth and the Moon is 384,400 km) according to the Paris Observatory. This Monday, July 3, 2023, the full moon is 361,934 kilometers from Earth, according to the Institute of Celestial Mechanics and Ephemeris Calculation (IMCCE).
The Super Moon is only really observable after sunset, with the naked eye, using binoculars or telescopes. In order to observe a Super Moon in optimal conditions, you must equip yourself with astronomical glasses or a telescope, far from atmospheric pollution, or go to one of the clubs of the French Astronomical Association (AFA). See the map.
While waiting to observe the Super Moon tonight, discover the most beautiful photos of Super Moons taken around the world, from the United States to Australia via Europe, in 2022:
In astronomy, this event is called “perigee-syzygia”, the name of Super Moon having nothing scientific, since it is an invention of the astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. “A Super moon occurs when the full moon coincides with the moment when the Moon comes closest to Earth in its elliptical orbit, a point called perigee,” explains NASA’s website.
By Super Moon, we therefore mean a celestial phenomenon that is due to two elements: the only satellite of planet Earth passes closest to us when it is a full moon evening.
A Super Moon appears slightly brighter and larger than a Full Moon, simply because it appears at perigee, at its closest orbit point to Earth, less than 360,000 km away.
Due to the Full Moon’s proximity to our planet Earth, its effects have an even stronger impact on tides, mood, and sleep. Indeed, as explained in a 2013 Swiss scientific study published in the journal Current Biology, “a lunar rhythm can modulate sleep patterns in humans.” This means that the time to fall asleep is extended by 5 minutes, deep sleep decreased by 30% and sleep duration by 20 minutes. Consequently, the level of melatonin, a hormone secreted during our sleep, which has a role to play in mood, is lower, which can cause irritability or even depression.
