This month’s full moon was clearly visible to astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The first of four consecutive supermoons in the coming months, July’s full moon rose in New York at 7:10 p.m. EDT (2310 GMT) on Monday, July 3, and set at 4:33 a.m. EDT (0833 GMT) on Tuesday, July 4. From his position on the orbiting laboratory, United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi took stunning pictures of the full moon, also known as the Buck Moon.
“Looking at the full moon from the ISS,” Al Neyadi tweeted on Wednesday (July 5). ” Despite our location in space, we are still quite a ways from the moon.”
The full moon appeared larger and brighter than usual in the night sky when viewed from Earth on Monday because it was at its closest point in its elliptical, approximately 27-day orbit, known as perigee. At the point when this occurs, the full moon is known as a supermoon, and there are three more set to happen this year.
The moon’s brightness can increase by 30% and the size of the lunar disk as seen from Earth can increase by 14% during supermoons. In any case, these expansions in brilliance and obvious size aren’t normally observable to the independent eye.
Al Neyadi wrote in the tweet, “We are at an altitude of approximately 400 km [249 miles] from Earth, while the average distance between Earth and the moon is approximately 384,000 km [238,607 miles].” In contrast, the supermoon on Monday was only 224,895 miles (361,934 kilometers) away from Earth.
Additionally, the next three full moons will be supermoons. On August 1, the next one, known as the Full Sturgeon Moon, will appear. On August 30, another one will appear, which is known as a blue moon because it will be the second in the same month. The supermoon season for this year will then come to an end with a full moon on September 23, known as the Full Corn Moon.
On the off chance that you’re wanting to get a glance at one of the mid year’s supermoons, our advisers for the best telescopes and best optics are an incredible spot to begin. Check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, as well as our best astrophotography cameras and lenses, if you want to take pictures of the full moon or other night sky objects.
