November Sydney Supermoon

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Posted 2016-11-06 by Roy Chambers ⇒ follow

Sat 12 Nov 2016 - Wed 16 Nov 2016

This November there will be a Supermoon that is not only the brightest moon in 2016, it will also be the brightest full moon since 1948. There will not be another moon as bright until 2034. Just in case you haven't heard the term supermoon before, it is when the moon is full while being closest to the earth. This means beautiful bright moonlight.

Supermoon Facts

Astronomers insist on calling a supermoon a perigee full moon. A perigee is when an orbiting object, such as the moon, approaches closest in its orbit. So the supermoon is when the moon approaches close to Earth and is also full. We normally have about 3 supermoons during the year, and well as several perigee new moons which some people also call supermoons.

On November 14 the moon will be objectively larger, but in reality, when you look at the moon it won't look any different. You see the size of the moon is an optical illusion and the moon appears to be larger down near the horizon and smaller when it is up overhead. But what will be noticeably different is the brightness of the moon. If you are away from city lights you will see the countryside bathed in beautiful moonlight.

Observing the supermoon moon

The full supermoon will rise on Monday November 14 and set in the morning on November 15. It will also be close to the same brightness for several days around the full moon, so you can also enjoy the moonlight over the weekend as well.

The moon rises at 7:07 pm, about half an hour before sunset, and is at its highest at 12:44 am, setting the next morning at 6:17 am, half an hour after sunrise. Because the moon passes its highest point on Tuesday, some places list the full moon as November 15. But that is really just a product of daylight savings time.

With the moon rising and setting while the sun is still up, you can view the moonrise and photograph the moon over a partially lit landscape or cityscape. What you do miss is the moon close to a dark horizon or just on the waters edge.

The moon will rise about 15 degrees north of east and set the next morning about 15 degrees north of west. You should keep this in mind when looking for the perfect spot to watch the moonrise.

Enjoying the supermoon

The main thing people do during the supermoon is to look for somewhere to watch the moonrise. For photographers, it is the perfect time practice moon photography. But it is also a great time to get out in the countryside to enjoy the supermoon light. With the moon being at its brightest in over 70 years, this is a must.

For people living pretty much anywhere along the New South Wales coast, finding the perfect moonrise location can be easy. Just head to the beach where you can watch the moonrise and enjoy walking along the beach under the moonlight.

For cityscapes in Sydney, you need a little planning. Remember the moon will pop up about 15 degrees north of true east. I am actually thinking that it will be in the perfect spot to watch from Balmoral Beach, but there are plenty of other spots around the harbour that give you a good view. For a bit of a cityscape, I am considering Illoura Reserve in Balmain.

For a moonlight hike, you want to get away from the city, but it has to be somewhere that is open with few overhanging trees. The Blue Mountains will give you great moonlight views of Megalong Valley, but hiking won't really be worthwhile as the forest is too dense. If you can think of any great hiking spots around Sydney and NSW, please post them in the comments.

Photographing the Moon

Supermoons are a great time to try your luck at photographing the moon. With the timing of November's moonrise, it should be fairly easy.

When the sky is still light you can photograph the moon using any camera, including your phone's camera. Even automatic settings will produce a nice photo of the moon. But once the sky becomes dark you need a camera where you can manually adjust settings. You don't actually need a DLSR or mirrorless camera, but the better the camera you have the crisper the photos will turn out.

The most important thing that you need is a tripod. Most expensive cameras come with a remote to avoid camera shake from pressing the button, but you can also do this by using the camera's timer to take photos.

The recommended settings are usually an aperture of f/8 or f/11 and an exposure of 1/125 seconds. Play around with these settings, depending on the capabilities of your camera to get the perfect photo.