JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Supermoon was spoiled by thick clouds over northern Florida blocking and we will have to wait until November 25, 2034 to see a similar event. Tonight you will have a clear sky and the near full moon will look nearly impressive.
The moon has come closer to Earth than it's been in nearly 69 years on Monday morning November 14th. The Moon passed 221,524 miles away.
Recommended Videos
The combination of its proximity, and it being just a full moon phase, makes it appear brighter and bigger than normal.
The moon travels around the Earth not in a circle but an elliptical orbit. The term perigee means closest approach and the last time the Moon got this close to Earth was January 26, 1948.
A "supermoon" event happens when the perigee coincides with a full Moon.
For most of us around northeast Florida the Moon will look fullest Sunday night as it rises over the Atlantic 28 minutes before sunset at 5:31 pm. The Beaver Moon will appear about 8 percent larger in the sky with our weekend clouds lingering into Sunday evening.
Here are some tips from Nasa's Senior Photographer Bill Ingalls on capturing the perfect photo of the Super Moon;
SMARTPHONE photo tips:
"To get the right light balance of the moon on newer iPhones and other smartphones, “Tap the screen and hold your finger on the object (in this case, the moon) to lock the focus. Then slide your finger up or down to darken or lighten the exposure.”
"You’re not going to get a giant moon in your shot, but you can do something more panoramic, including some foreground that’s interesting." Think about being in an urban area where the foreground will be a little bit brighter.”
Bill’s #1 tip for capturing that great lunar photo: “Don’t make the mistake of photographing the moon by itself with no reference to anything,” he said. “I’ve certainly done it myself, but everyone will get that shot. Instead, think of how to make the image creative—that means tying it into some land-based object. It can be a local landmark or anything to give your photo a sense of place.”
Ingalls says this November 2016 supermoon can be a great family activity. “I think this would be a lot of fun to do with kids, if nothing else, to just have them witness it and talk about what’s taking place.”
He recommends personalizing the experience by using people in the shot. “There are lots of great photos of people appearing to be holding the moon in their hand and that kind of thing. You can get really creative with it,” he said.
For digital SLR photography, Ingalls uses the daylight white balance setting for capturing moonlight, since sunlight is being reflected. For those with longer lenses he advises, “Keep in mind that the moon is a moving object. It’s a balancing act between trying to get the right exposure and realizing that the shutter speed typically needs to be a lot faster.”
November "Beaver" full moons were named by early colonists and Indians because they set beaver traps to harvest furs before the winter freeze.
No freezes for us but the evenings will be chilly in the 50s.
Also tides will be higher than average.Northeast winds over the weekend combine with the extra gravitational pull of the Moon pushing water about 1' above average south of the St. Johns River and up to 2 feet around coastal Georgia.