Tonight, Supermoon Makes Final Appearance of 2022

Thought Question: “Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.” What does this quote mean to you?

Albert Einstein said, “Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.” If you agree with Einstein, clear your plans for tonight. It’s this year’s last opportunity to look into the natural wonder of a supermoon. 

The fourth and final supermoon of 2022 will appear this evening. A supermoon occurs when the moon is at its closest point to Earth during orbit. So, the moon is brighter and fuller than on any other night. Full moons in August are sometimes called Sturgeon moons The name comes from North America’s Algonquin tribes. They named the special moon after the many sturgeon fish in rivers and lakes at this time of year.

Tonight’s supermoon will be 224,569.1 miles from Earth. July's was 222,089.3 miles from Earth. That's according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Supermoons look about 7% bigger. The almanac explains it's hard to pinpoint the exact hour or minute the moon appears at its fullest. The best plan is to view a supermoon when it’s rising or setting.

The supermoon actually will overshadow another beautiful sight. The popular Perseid meteor shower also occurs this evening. It will peak in the final hours of tonight and into Friday morning. The Perseid is one of the best meteor showers of the year. You can see around 60 meteors per hour under ideal conditions. But the moon will be very bright. So, seeing the meteor shower will be much harder. It could even be impossible in some places.

After tonight, moon gazers will have to wait until July 3, 2023, to see the supermoon again.