Kenai Peninsula stargazers may get the chance to see the largest, brightest “supermoon” since 1948 if the skies stay clear over the weekend.
Omega Smith at the UAA Planetarium previously explained what causes some full moons to look so noticeably huge.
Smith: “ It’s going to be looking big because it’s a perigean moon which means that the full moon happens to be at the same time that the moon is closest in its orbit to earth, so it’ll look slightly bigger.
The distance the moon passes by the Earth changes because its orbit is egg shaped.
The moon’s closest approach will actually happen at 2:23 am Alaska Standard Time Monday morning. Astronomers say the moon will pass within 216,486 miles of Earth’s surface, about 22,000 miles closer than average during that time.
The moon will not pass this close to Earth again until the year 2034.
The Kenai Peninsula’s forecast for Sunday night and Monday morning is partly clear.
