See the Supermoons

The new year starts out with two supermoons in January. While the definition of a supermoon is when a new moon or full moon is closest to the earth only the full supermoon receives attention. We just had a supermoon in December and to me it seems like there should only be one supermoon in a year. But according to Richard Nolle’s definition any time a new or full moon comes within about 224,000 miles of our planet, as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth, it’s considered a supermoon. That means both the full moon on January 2nd and the full moon on January 31st will be supermoons. In addition to being a supermoon the full moon on January 31st will also be a blue moon because it’s the 2nd full moon of the same month.

Why all of this talk about the moon? When you live in a place with dark skies and unobstructed views of the sky you tend to pay attention to what’s up there. It’s quite the sight to see a big yellow ball as it rises over Lake Superior or emerges from behind a tree line. When there isn’t light pollution you notice how much light the moon actually produces. When there is snow on the ground the full moon illuminates the earth even more and it almost looks like daytime.

We’re so lucky to live in a place where we can see the wonders of the night sky. We would love for you to experience the beauty of a full moon with unobstructed views in a dark sky. Come stay with us at Voyageur and see the supermoons yourself.

supermoon on the Gunflint Trail
Photo from National Geographic Blog

 

 

Leave a Reply