Supermoon over Ohio

Supermoon over Ohio

This Supermoon was visible on September 17th, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. On this day, the full moon was a partial lunar eclipse; a supermoon; and a harvest moon. A “supermoon” occurs when a full Moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, a point known as perigee. During every 27-day orbit around Earth, the Moon reaches both its perigee, about 226,000 miles (363,300 km) from Earth, and its farthest point, or apogee, about 251,000 miles (405,500 km) from Earth. Because the Moon’s orbit wobbles and differs depending on where the Sun and Earth are in their orbits, the exact distance of these closest and furthest points varies, with supermoons occurring closer or farther than others. 

“Supermoon" is not an official astronomical term, but typically it is used to describe a full Moon that comes within at least 90 percent of perigee. Supermoons only happen three to four times a year, and always appear consecutively. Throughout most of Earth's orbit around the sun, perigee and the full Moon do not overlap.

Image Credit: NASA/GRC/Jordan Salkin

Image Date: Sept. 17, 2024

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