Tonight you can experience the supermoon over parts of the country. But it can be difficult to see with the naked eye.
Less than 10 minutes ago
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Press contact Tor E. Aslesen for the Norwegian Astronomical Society explains that the phenomenon occurs about once a year.
– The moon varies in size as it orbits the earth. It goes in an orbit around the earth that is not round or circular, it is a bit oblong or elliptical, Aslesen explains.
Tonight, the moon will be 358,000 kilometers from Earth, which is the closest it gets to the orbit.
– There are about 29.5 days between each full moon, while the course is 27.5 days. They are not completely in agreement. But when the two fall together, we call it the “supermoon”, says Aslesen.
He emphasizes that the variation is very small and not easy to see with the naked eye. The moon will look between five and ten percent larger tonight.
–In addition, the moon will set early tonight – in Oslo it will set at 03.10.
– It is a bit beyond the eye’s measurability. But the full moon in the summer is very nice anyway, he says.
– So if you were to get up very early tomorrow, would you not stay awake to catch the moon?
– No, unless you want to see a nice summer full moon, says Aslesen.
If you do not get to see the supermoon tonight, you may appreciate some of these previous supermooners:
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