“At certain times of the year, the moon is at its closest point to Earth and these are called supermoons,” Mike Hankey, director of operations for the American Meteor Society, said via email. “It’s just a normal point in the Moon’s orbit. At each end, the Moon is either a little bigger or a little smaller (at its farthest), but it’s not much of a difference.”
The sturgeon moon will steal the spotlight from the Perseid meteor shower that peaks Thursday through Saturday.
“Bright moon phases are harmful to meteor showers because they remove faint meteors,” Hanke said. “A full or almost full moon dominates one part of the sky, which makes this part undesirable for meteor observations. The full moon also lasts all night, and does not leave hours of complete darkness, which is preferred.”
This year, the Perseid—which grows in number from late evening to early dawn—was most visible in early August when the moon looked smaller and fainter. In previous years, it was more visible in an almost moonless sky.
The remaining space events in 2022
- September 10: Harvest Moon
- October 9: Hunter’s Moon
- November 8: Beaver Moon
- December 7: Cold Moon
- Draconids: October 8-9
- Orionids: October 20-21
- South Torres: November 5
- North Torres: November 12
- Leonids: 17-18 November
- Geminids: December 13-14
- Ursids: December 22-23
The total lunar eclipse on November 8 can be seen in Asia, Australia, the Pacific, South America and North America between 3:01 a.m. ET and 8:58 a.m. ET. But for people in eastern North America, the moon will be setting during that time.
Wear appropriate eclipse glasses to view a solar eclipse safely, as sunlight can damage the eyes.