Staff Writer
Since it was 222,159 miles (357,530 kilometers) closer than usual, the moon appeared brighter and larger than usual; therefore, the term “supermoon.”
Tuesday night, as the first of two supermoons in August, a larger and brighter moon illuminated the nighttime skies over Johannesburg.
Since it was 222,159 miles (357,530 kilometers) closer than usual, the moon appeared brighter and larger than usual; therefore, the term “supermoon.”
The moon will be just 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) away that evening, on August 30.
It will be a “blue moon” because it will be the second full moon in the same month.
In 2018, two full supermoons appeared in the sky at the same time.
According to Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, who founded the Virtual Telescope Project, it won’t happen again until 2037.
