Maine Skies Will Welcome a Supermoon on Monday, but Will We See It?

I'd never even heard the term supermoon until about ten years ago.

I believe it was 2014? It was fall and my wife and I decided to stay out to camp and check it out. It also happened to coincide with a lunar eclipse. So it was definitely an astronomical two-fer. It made for quite the evening. Before the eclipse actually happened, the moonrise was spectacular. The moon seemed a bit bigger, and was way brighter, for sure.

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The term itself, according to NASA, is more of nickname than a totally accurate representation of what's actually happening. Obviously, the moon isn't actually larger, but in the pathways of the Earth and moon orbiting around each other, supermoons happen when those paths come closest to each other.

Monday kicks off a series of supermoons this fall.

In addition to what's on the way, there will be three more for the next few months. In fact, on the September supermoon, much like I was talking about earlier, there will also be a partial lunar eclipse. So that will make the whole event a bit more special, overall. Of the four, October's will have the moon and the Earth closest together.

More than anything, the biggest difference is the brightness of the moon those nights. What makes the moon occasionally appear larger, is it's proximity to the Earth. The closer the moon is, the bigger it looks. But supermoons can appear as much as 30% brighter than normal, according to WABI.

Is the weather going to ruin it, though?

Well, quite possible. Right now, the forecast from the National Weather Service is calling for rain in many areas of the state. But as we all know, the weather in Maine is always subject to change. So there's a solid chance the only glimpse of the moon you might get, is if your toilet starts leaking and you call a plumber.

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But, it honestly seems like the other ones later in the fall have more potential for something a bit more special. Monday just happens to be the first one. On average, there's three or four a year. Some are just a bit dandier than others. Let's see how the 2024 ones pan out...

I wonder if supermoons turning you into a werewolf is on this list?