Supermoon to fly high in the sky across the West Midlands
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a supermoon – and it is rising on a horizon near you.
The phenomenon will be more spectacular than ever as our nearest neighbour will shine closer to Earth than at any time in almost 70 years.
And while the bright lights of the cities may not always be ideal for viewing our natural world, heading out to any rural viewing point across our region such as the Clent Hills near Stourbridge or Barr Beacon near Walsall will offer up viewing points for the natural phenomenon.
Star-gazers are expected to flock to such spots for the supermoon, which will be seen at its most spectacular on Tuesday, November 15. It will appear to be up to one-third brighter – 30 per cent – and 14 per cent bigger than an average full moon, according to the boffins at Nasa.
The 'undeniably beautiful' astronomical event will not come again until November 25, 2034, the space agency said. Experts also believe this will be our closest supermoon since the one that appeared on January 26, 1948.
The moon will appear largest when it begins to rise at around quarter to five in the evening in Britain as it will be nearer to the horizon. A supermoon happens when a full or new moon makes its closest approach to Earth.
Robin Scagell, vice-president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, said: "It will be above rooftops and trees and always appears bigger that way because you're comparing it to foreground objects.
"I'm always pleased for people to get their binoculars out and look up at the craters and the seas."
Astrology website EarthSky add: "We astronomers call this sort of close full moon a perigee full moon. The word perigee describes the moon's closest point to Earth for any given month.
"Five years ago – when the closest and largest full moon fell on March 19, 2011 – many began using the term supermoon. It's a good descriptive term for the closest full moons, much easier to remember than perigee full moon."
