Sue’s Kitchen Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall
It didn’t quite get dark last night in the area, as a beautiful ‘Supermoon’ shone brightly in the the clear sky.
This is the closest the moon has passed to Earth since 1948, and it won’t be this close again until the year 2034.
“When a full moon makes its closest pass to Earth in its orbit it appears up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter, making it a supermoon,” NASA officials stated.
“This month’s is especially ‘super’ for two reasons: it is the only supermoon this year to be completely full, and it is the closest moon to Earth since 1948. The moon won’t be this super again until 2034!”
This is actually the second of three supermoons in a row, so if you missed it this weekend you will have another chance next month to see the last supermoon of 2016 on Dec. 14.
NASA scientists have studied the moon for decades. A better understanding of our moon helps scientists infer what is happening on other planets and objects in the solar system. “The moon is the Rosetta Stone by which we understand the rest of the solar system,” Petro said.
LRO has been mapping the moon’s surface and capturing high resolution images for more than seven years. Extensive mapping of the moon aids scientists in understanding our planet’s history, as well as that of planetary objects beyond the Earth-moon system.
“Because we have the Apollo samples, we can tie what we see from orbit to those surface samples and make inferences about what has happened to the moon throughout its lifetime,” said Noah Petro, deputy project scientist for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission.
“The samples tell us how old certain lunar surfaces are, and based on the number of impact craters on those surfaces, we can estimate the ages of the rest of the moon. Furthermore, we can then apply those models to estimate the ages of surface on other planets in our solar system — all by studying the moon!”
Closest Supermoon in 86 years shines amid clear skies 🌕
If you have a suggestion, story idea, column idea, or if you want to say hello… drop me an e-mail at aaron@sydenhamcurrent.ca.
Photo of the day
Weather forecast for Monday, November 14, 2016
Today – Sunny. Becoming a mix of sun and cloud this afternoon. Wind southwest 20 km/h. High 12.
Tonight – Cloudy. Wind southwest 20 km/h becoming light this evening. Low plus 3.
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