The Last “Supermoon” of 2024 Over San Francisco

“Supermoon” Night Over San Francisco 2024

David Yu via Flickr

Thanks to an optical illusion in the sky, the moon will appear bigger and brighter than normal in the San Francisco Bay Area in the night, during what astronomers call a “supermoon.”

Because the sun is about 50,000 miles closer to the earth than at its furthest point – and it’s a full or new moon – the moon will appear larger and brighter than most full moons. To be considered a supermoon, it has to be within 224,851 miles (361,863 kilometers) of our planet, as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth.

The best time to observe the supermoon is when the moon is near the horizon during either moonrise or moonset, thanks to having objects in the foreground (like buildings or trees) to provide reference points for estimating the moon’s size.

2024 Supermoons & Rare Full Moons

• August 19 – “Blue” Supermoon
• September 17 – Super Harvest Moon plus a partial lunar eclipse
• October 17 – Super Hunter’s Moon and the closest full supermoon for 2024
• November 15 – Full Moon, Supermoon

Read more about 2024’s Supermoons at Earthsky

Source: EarthSky

Friday, November 15, 2024
“Supermoon” Night Over San Francisco 2024

The final supermoon of the year will be on November 15, 2024. November’s full moon is considered the “Beaver Moon” which reflects the time when beavers are busy building their winter dams.

The best time to view the supermoon is when it’s at the horizon so that you have buildings, trees, hills or mountains to compare it to when the moon is low on the horizon. So the best viewing times are either just after moonrise or just before moonset, even if it’s not at the exact minute of the super moon’s peak effect.

San Francisco Moonrise/Moonset Times for Ideal Viewing
On November 15, 2024, the moonrise is 4:41 pm and the moonset is 6:43 am.

This particular “supermoon” is up for debate. According to Starwalk, former NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak’s Supermoon calendar, has declared the November Full Moon 2024 a Supermoon, meaning that this full moon will occur near the perigee and will appear slightly larger and brighter in the sky than regular full moons. However, Richard Nolle, the astrologer who coined the term “Supermoon” has not included November’s full moon on his list of Supermoons.

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