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Supermoon Night: Biggest of the Year | 2014

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Sunday, August 10, 2014 - 8:00 pm to 2:00 am | Cost: FREE
San Francisco Bay Area |

Event Details

“Supermoon” Night Over San Francisco 2024

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

On August 10, 2014, the moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth, giving us the biggest Supermoon of 2014.

Moonrise is 8:01pm

Astronomers call this sort of close full moon a perigee full moon. The word perigee describes the moon’s closest point to Earth for a given month. EarthSky

This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Sturgeon Moon because the large sturgeon fish of the Great Lakes and other major lakes were more easily caught at this time of year. This moon has also been known as the Green Corn Moon and the Grain Moon. – Sea and Sky

This night is also a good one to start watching the Perseids Meteor Shower. Although the full moon may make it difficult to see the stars, you should still be able to catch the Perseids display right after midnight.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.


Cost: FREE
Categories: *Top Pick*, San Francisco Bay Area