Harvest moon: Perth gets front-row seats to the September supermoon

The harvest moon, also known as the September supermoon, will look the best from Australia and Perth residents will get front-row seats.

In the past, the harvest moon has occurred as late as October but this year it will occur on Wednesday, September 18.

For the best and brightest solar system viewing, Perth residents should pop outside at 6.28pm.

The moon rises to the east, so people in WA should find a place where the eastern horizon is visible for the best viewing.

According to Astro Tourism WA, the best locations to see the supermoon are areas with “a pretty clear view of the eastern horizon without buildings or trees blocking your view”.

NASA said a supermoon occurs “when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth at the same time it is full”.

Other areas of the world will be able to see a Luna eclipse during the supermoon, but unfortunately for Perth, the eclipse will occur during the middle of the day and won’t be visible in Australia.

Astro Tourism WA said the State was “set to receive four supermoons in a row”.

• August 20, rises 6.31pm
• September 18, 6.28pm
• October 17, 6.25pm
• November 16, 7.39pm

In Australia, the supermoon will be seen around the time of the spring equinox, but the yearly event gained the name “harvest moon” because it occurs close to the autumn equinox in the Northern hemisphere.

The equinox is the time of year when day and night are around the same length and the sun crosses the celestial equator.

BEST TIME TO SEE THE SUPERMOON

The supermoon will be visible in the sky from about 10.34am AWST, 12.04pm ACST and 12.34pm AEST.

The best times to see the supermoon will be early in the evening about 6pm in Sydney, 6.26pm in Melbourne, 5.53pm in Brisbane, 6.09pm in Canberra, 6.16pm in Hobart, 6.23pm in Adelaide, 6.57pm in Darwin and 6.29pm in Perth.

BEST PLACE TO SEE A SUPERMOON

According to AstroTourism WA, the best place to see a supermoon is where you can view the eastern horizon without buildings or trees blocking your view.

If you plan on taking a photograph of the supermoon, find a spot with the a landscape you’d like to capture in the foreground.

The landscape will need to be in your view as you look east.

Mr Woods said in WA the Perth Hills were in the east or from Kings Park you could capture the supermoon with the city and Swan River in the background.

“For Sydney you would be able to get nice shots of the harbour or in Brisbane you have the Storey Bridge, it just depends on what nice scenery you want to take a photo of.

“We are blessed in Western Australia, because if you go out in the early morning you will be able to take photos of the beaches.

“In Broome, they will be having the Staircase to the Moon Festival.”

WHAT YOU WILL SEE IN THE MOON

Mr Woods said people will be able to see the whole face of the supermoon tonight.

“You will be able to see Tycho’s Crater which has spider lines coming from the crater,” he said.

“There is also Copernicus which has objector lines where asteroids have hit the moon or materials have gone into space and fallen back on the Earth.

“We normally get two or three supermoons a year, so it is rare that we get three in a row.”

PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

There was also a partial lunar eclipse, but it was not visible from Australia, only in other parts of the world such as the North America, South America, Africa and Europe.

The next time a lunar eclipse will be visible in Australia will be on March 13 next year, when a total eclipse will be visible in NSW, QLD, Victoria and Tasmania.

OPTICAL ILLUSION

As the moon rises it will appear enormous, thanks to a trick of our eyes known as the moon illusion, which makes the moon look larger on the horizon than it does up in the sky, according to Swinburne University astronomer Dr Alan Duffy.

“As the moon appears on the horizon, you can give it the thumbs up at arm’s length – your thumbnail should just about cover the entire Moon. Try again later that night and although the Moon is the same size it will look so much smaller,” he said.

With Emma Kirk from Newswire