This Sunday night will be a bonanza for those of you who like watching the sky. It’s a supermoon, meaning a full moon coinciding with the perigee, which is the close point in the moon’s orbit (as well as part of a magic spell.) That leads to a perceived difference in size as illustrated above and maximum brightness. More specifically its the closest perigee of the year, meaning the “most super” supermoon.
And to top if off, the early hours of Monday morning will mark the beginning of the peak three-day period for the annual Perseid meteor shower. (There’s a big of a catch here, however, as the supermoon’s brightness may make the meteors harder to spot.)
Happy gazing!