THE Astronomical Society of Albury-Wodonga is hoping Monday night’s ‘supermoon’ has piqued the curiosity of a new generation of stargazers.
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While the brightness of the moon meant the spectacle was lessened from a purely astronomical persepective, president David Thurley said the chance to see some lunar landmarks with the naked eye was a rare one indeed.
“People should spend a bit more time appreciating what’s up there,” Mr Thurley said.
“When you look at the surface of the moon you can see all the different craters, you can see the Sea of Tranquility, which is where Apollo 11 landed.”
Monday’s perigee moon (to use its scientific name) is the first event of its kind since 1948, bringing the moon around 48,000 kilometres closer to Earth than usual.
But if the changing weather conditions yesterday evening made it difficult to see, don’t fret, another will come. You do have a bit of a wait though – the full moon isn’t predicted to come this close again until 2034.
