This Thursday (11) another supermoon can be observed in the sky of all Brazil, if the weather conditions are favorable, of course.
This will be the third and final supermoon of the year. It’s a term little used by astronomers, but in practice it means that the Moon will appear larger and brighter than usual, as it will be near its perigee, the closest point to Earth during its orbit. .
This August supermoon is known as the “Sturgeon Supermoon”. The name is linked to when the fish was found in large numbers in the Great Lakes of North America, a huge collection of freshwater lakes between Canada and the United States.
This is the third time we have had a supermoon in 2022, according to NASA, the US space agency. The first was the Strawberry Supermoon in June and the second was the “Deer Supermoon” in July.
NASA explains that for the approach of our natural satellite to be considered a supermoon, a new moon or a full moon must be above the 90% limit of perigee.
“Since we can’t see super new moons (except when the Moon passes in front of the Sun and causes an eclipse), what catches the public’s attention are super full moons, because they are the most the biggest and brightest of the year,” says the agency’s press release.
To see the supermoon, you don’t need to use any special equipment. It is enough that the weather conditions are favorable, without clouds. One suggestion is to look at the sky just after moonrise, a time that varies depending on your region and time zone.
In São Paulo, for example, the moon will rise tomorrow at 5:29 p.m. In Recife, it will be at 5:06 p.m. In Porto Velho, the phenomenon is visible at 6:06 p.m. local time.
The term “supermoon” first appeared in 1979 and is not what we would call an “astronomical concept”. It is used outside academia to refer to the union of perigee and the full moon. It’s not an uncommon situation to enjoy, but it’s a great opportunity for anyone who wants to start observing the sky.
At night, people sit atop an old train carriage as they watch the annual Perseid meteor shower near the Israel-Egypt border in Ezuz, southern Israel, Wednesday (12) – Photo : Amir Cohen/Reuters
Perseids: meteor shower
In the same week as the Sturgeon Supermoon, the Perseid meteor shower, which takes place every year, will peak on August 12-13.
According to NASA, observers in the northern hemisphere will be able to see the phenomenon, which typically results in 50 to 100 “shooting stars” (meteors) per hour at its peak. This year, however, precisely because of the Moon, the meteor shower will see its intensity reduced, with an expected maximum of 20 per hour.
Indeed, the luminosity of the full moon, which lasts until next Saturday (13), darkens the vision of the spectators.
In the southern hemisphere, which includes Brazil, Perseidas will be best seen in cities in the north and northeast of the country.
To observe the phenomenon, it is also not necessary to have space equipment, but a dark environment facilitates observation.
G1
