The last supermoon 2015 event is nearing. Occurring on October 26, 2015, skywatchers are probably already finding the perfect spot the watch the spectacular show.
The moon doesn't need to be "full" in order to be called a supermoon, which takes place either during a full or a new moon. Supermoons occur when the moon is at its closest distance from earth.
The last supermoon occurred only last month, and that event was a rare one, as it happened while a lunar eclipse was ongoing and the moon was 14 percent larger than usual. Such rare occurrences are also called "blood moon."
The previous month's supermoon certainly had everyone up on their toes, with social media bombarded with photos of the event. While this year's supermoon isn't to be expected to be as stunning as last month's, the upcoming supermoon will still be something special, according to a NASA video, as shown on MSN.com.
This is because the three supermoons in a row this 2015 occurred during the beginning of the lunar cycle, making the moon less bright and exciting.
The upcoming supermoon is something to watch out for since it is reported to be larger and brighter than a regular full moon.
The next supermoon is a long way to go, taking place October 2016, so this last supermoon of the year is something that's hard to miss.
The last full moon supermoon this 2015 will be visible to skywatchers on October 26 till the morning of Oct. 27, according to AL.com.
Though there are generally five up to six supermoons in a year, not all are full moons. There will reportedly be not as many supermoons next year as this year.
The October 2015 supermoon is the sixth of the year and will take place approximately 12:05 UTC.
According to CDA News, because the October full moon is a time when Autumn leaves fall and game animals are fattest, Native American tribes have called it the "Full Hunters Moon," since it is the best time to hunt the animals.
Scientists did not use the term supermoon at first. They simply called the event either perigee full moons or perigee new moons, with perigee meaning "near Earth."
It was only with Richard Nolle that the term began to be used. He coined the term "supermoon" 30 years ago, defining it as "a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90 percent of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit."
Below is a short video from NASA about the last supermoon of 2015, providing a quick background about the event.
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