You won’t have to wait long for the first supermoon of 2018
The first and only supermoon of 2017 didn’t happen until Dec. 3. Luckily, you won’t have to wait long to see another one.
The first supermoon of 2018 falls on Jan. 1.
A supermoon, when the moon appear to be brighter and larger than normal, happens when a full moon occurs while the moon is closest to Earth in its orbit.
The second one of the year will be an extra special celestial event. Jan. 31’s supermoon will occur during a total lunar eclipse.
It won’t be a spectacular viewing experience for people in the Carolinas — The lunar eclipse will be totally viewable in western North America to eastern Asia, according to NASA — but the moon will still appear big and bright in Charlotte.
If you’re going to go outside Monday to view the moon in the Charlotte region, you’ll want to bundle up. It’s expected to be as cold as 13 degrees that night, according to AccuWeather.
If you want to stay inside and can’t see the moon out your window, the Virtual Telescope Project plans to stream the event.
LaVendrick Smith: @LaVendrickS
This story was originally published December 29, 2017 at 3:07 PM with the headline "You won’t have to wait long for the first supermoon of 2018."