Look for tonight's Supermoon

Beginning tonight night and heading into tomorrow morning, the full moon becomes a “supermoon,” being closer than any other full moon of the year. When it is at its nearest one hour after sunrise on Sunday, the moon appears 7% wider and 15% larger than the average full moon. Its distance shrinks to 222,000 miles, some 18,000 miles less than that of the average full moon. 

Reports are circulating on its unusual brightness in the sky and its unusual closeness to our planet. Curious skywatchers should take the hyperbole with more than a grain of moon dust. 

While the June 22/23 full moon will be the closest of the year, it will not necessarily be the brightest. Saturday’s full moon lies in the same low region of the sky where the December sun shines. Therefore, it won’t reach a high sky position, but it will trace a shallow arc beginning in the southeast thirty minutes before sunset, rising low in the south, then ending in the southwest fifteen minutes after sunrise. 

Summer haze may substantially diminish the brightness of tonight’s supermoon, causing it to be dimmer than the year’s smallest full moon which occurs on December 17. That cold moon, while being 21% smaller, climbs much higher in the December night reaching the same height as June’s noonday sun. It’s light cuts through much less atmospheric muck, appearing glaringly bright, possibly brighter than this weekend’s supermoon.

Moonrise in the Roanoke area today is about 8 p.m. Any judgement about its brightness shouldn’t be made until after 10 p.m. when it has risen appreciably above the south-southeastern horizon. If it is cloudy, the next supermoon can be seen next year on August 10.

Such is our view from Earth...

Mercury passes Venus

Say goodbye to Mercury until it pops up in the dawn sky in July. The smallest planet can be found tonight to the lower left of Venus. Look to the west-northwest at 9:35 p.m. for Venus shining low above the horizon. Mercury lies to its left. Binoculars most likely will be need to spot i, though,t unless the sky is very clear. After tonight, it will be too low to spy its feeble light in the bright twilight. 

These two images were taken June 18 at 9:40 p.m.

Such is our view from Earth...

Spotting Mercury as it rounds the sun

At 9:40 p.m. in the west-northwest, Venus can be easily found shining low above the horizon. The solar system's innermost planet, Mercury, while in the same general area, is not nearly so easily found. Over the next week, it drops quickly past Venus to the horizon as it orbits the sun. Mercury sits just to Venus' left on Tuesday night (June 18). Use binoculars to positively ID it since Mercury and Venus both glow in the same field of view. If conditions are very clear, binoculars may not be necessary to see Mercury.

In the image, taken at 9:40 p.m. on June 15, Mercury is seen to Venus' upper left.

Why not give Mercury spotting a try?

Such is our view from Earth...

Monday night June 10, the moon provides a guide to locate the solar system's innermost planet, Mercury. At 9:20 p.m. look to the west-northwest for Venus and the thin crescent moon. If skies are clear, Mercury will be glimpsed above Venus and to the upper right of the moon. Binoculars will make the scene easier to see, but they are not essential.

Mercury is now at its highest in the early evening sky and drops towards Venus over the next week.

Such is our view from Earth.