SUPER MOON. The second Super Moon of the year 2023 will occur this Tuesday, August 1, 2023. What time to observe this “Sturgeon Super Moon”? What effects? We tell you everything.
[Updated Aug 1, 2023 9:31 AM] The second Super Moon of the year, also known as the “Sturgeon Super Moon”, is going to occur this Tuesday, August 1, 2023. The Super Moon is quite a rare phenomenon. In the night sky, the Moon will appear 7.1% larger and 15.6% brighter than normal during the “perigee-syzygia” phenomenon, when the full moon is at the closest point of its orbit of the earth.
What time and how to observe this Super Moon? Why is it a Super Moon and what is the origin of its name? Why do Native Americans call it Super Sturgeon Moon? How far will the Moon be from Earth tonight? What are its supposed effects? All the answers to your questions are in the guide below.
This month of August 2023 is a somewhat special month from an astronomical point of view since there will be two supermoons: that of August 1, the “Super Moon of the Sturgeons” and that of August 31, the latter being nicknamed the “Super Blue Moon”. This Blue Moon will be “the largest and brightest Full Moon this year,” according to astronomy site Starwalk. “It will be 7.2% larger and 15.7% brighter than an average Full Moon” at a distance of 357,344 km from Earth.
The next Supermoon will be the second of the year 2023, dated Tuesday, August 1, at 8:31 p.m. Four Super Moons are visible this year 2023: July 3, then Tuesday August 1, Thursday August 31, and Friday September 29.
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. On August 1, the full moon will be approximately 357,530 kilometers from Earth. It will be 7.1% larger and 15.6% brighter than a typical full moon.
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 point 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. While waiting for the next photos, here are the most beautiful Supermoon photos taken in France, the United States, China or even Russia:
The Estrugeon Super Moon is so named by Native American tribes because it coincides with the fishing season for this large fish around the Great Lakes of America.
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.
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.
