The moon over Alabama will appear full and larger than usual on Friday. It is a supermoon and the last one in 2024. The moon will be both 14% larger in appearance and 30% brighter than normal.
For those who cannot go out and see the moon on Friday, you have a second and third chance. You can go out Saturday night or Sunday night and see about a 98% full moon. Unless you are a professional stargazer, you won’t know the difference. You might say this is a full moon weekend – a stargazer’s delight but a problem for law enforcement, as the full moon on a weekend appears to trigger strange outdoor conduct.
Visibility is expected to be excellent in most areas of Alabama.
A November supermoon is called a “Beaver Moon” and will appear on Friday night next to the unusual Pleiades star cluster, known as “the Seven Sisters.” Because of the brightness of the full moon, this dense cluster of stars may be difficult to see.
A supermoon is a full moon that happens at or nearly at the perigee – the closest the moon comes in its 28-day orbit of the Earth. These two almost simultaneous occurrences cause the apparent size of the moon to be larger to an observer on Earth. It also causes the brightness of the moon to be stronger.
A full moon plus the perigee equals a supermoon. Over this weekend, both factors will continue close to supermoon status. Only Friday night will be the actual supermoon.
Even then, it is a near miss. The moon actually goes into fullness at 3:28 p.m. CT Friday, well before sunset. Then the sun goes down on Friday night, the moon will be just past fullness and waning slowly.
For serious stargazers who want to follow the apparent journey of the moon through Friday night's sky, here is your heavenly itinerary:
The Pleiades star cluster, “The Seven Sisters.”
Mercury, low in the southwest sky, setting a hour after sunset.
Venus, in the southwest just a bit higher than Mercury, setting 90 minutes after sunset.
Saturn, high in the Southern sky, setting after midnight.
Jupiter, rising in the east, setting after sunrise Saturday.
Mars, rising in the east just after midnight.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler writes about Alabama’s people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. e is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. ou can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
Don’t miss out! ubscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
