Super Moon of Tuesday, February 19, 2019 : O and How to Observe It ?

Maj. February 20, 2019 at 9:15 a.m. min.

Look up to the sky on the evening of Tuesday, February 19, 2019 to see the new Super Moon, which will make our natural satellite appear larger and brighter than usual. This is the second Super Moon of this new year.

If you missed the total lunar eclipse of January 21, 2019, the sky gives you a new opportunity to admire an equally attractive astronomical phenomenon: a Super Moon that can be observed on the evening of Tuesday, February 19. A little reminder not to miss the show even if in France, our position is not the best to enjoy the phenomenon in an optimal way.

Super Moon of February 19, 2019: what can we observe in the sky?

The Moon is not always the same size in the sky. Its trajectory during its orbit around the Earth does not draw a perfect circle, but rather an ellipse similar to the shape of a rugby ball. At one point, the Moon is at its closest point to the Earth known as the perigee. Its furthest point is called the apogee. As LCI explains, when the Moon is at its perigee, it appears in its largest form with a diameter 7% larger than usual. It is also 30% brighter.

The term “supermoon”, which – by the way – is misused, refers to the time when the Moon’s perigee coincides with the Full Moon i.e. when the Sun, Earth and Moon are approximately aligned. We are therefore witnessing two simultaneous phenomena that scientists refer to as “perigee-syzyme”.

The first full Moon of the year took place on January 21, 2019 and coincided with the total lunar eclipse, the second, which is usually the most spectacular, took place on that day. The third is expected on 21 March 2019.

How to observe the Super Moon of February 19?

Our natural satellite reached its full moon phase around 4:00 p.m. French time. The perigee took place earlier in the day. It was still daylight and the phenomenon could not be optimally observed. However, the show will remain imposing for several hours. Tonight, be sure to look up to the sky if the weather is nice where you are located and if the sky is not overcast.