The Cold Moon will be visible rising at sunset on Thursday evening to the naked eye
A previous supermoon pictured at the control tower at Dublin Airport (Image: Collins Agency, Dublin)
Stargazers are in for a treat this week as the final magnificent supermoon of the year rises.
The third supermoon in a row will be visible rising at sunset on Thursday evening to the naked eye. Also known as the Cold Moon, the moon looks full on Wednesday and Friday as well.
A supermoon occurs when the full moon happens at the same time that the moon is closest to Earth in its elliptical orbit around the Earth. This can lead to the full moon being 30 per cent brighter than when it is at its most distant from the Earth. Another effect called the moon illusion can also make the full moon look bigger in the sky as it rises.
According to Astronomy Ireland, viewers all across the country are going to see a very impressive moon, potentially, the brightest and biggest full moon they will see in their lifetimes.
The moon is technically full on Thursday, but the moon looks ‘full’, to the naked eye a day or two either side of this time. So, the moon, when it rises at sunset, will look perfectly full on both Wednesday and Friday evenings as well as Thursday evening, giving people a number of chances to snap the Moon in a hopefully clear sky.
Supermoon Above Ireland in Croghan Hill, Co Offaly(Image: ©INPHO/James Crombie)
Astronomy Ireland Editor, David Moore, said: “We are asking the general public to line up the Moon with interesting objects or landscapes in the foreground and send their best snap to be published in Astronomy Ireland magazine, which will be archived in the National Library of Ireland for all time.
“Camera phones are now very powerful and capable of producing superb night sky photographs like this. We have received many camera phone Moon photographs and other celestial sights like 2024’s great Northern Lights displays in May and October of that year.
“As it is rising and low down people can line up the supermoon with statues, landmarks, buildings, aircraft, birds, landscapes, mountains, standing stones, ships and seascapes and more to produce stunning photographs which we would be delighted to feature in the pages of Astronomy Ireland magazine.”
See the Astronomy Ireland website here for where to send your photographs.
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