This celestial year is packed with many marvellous views and the team at Astrotourism WA enjoy guiding you on your astronomical adventures. The best stargazing in 2020 is only the switch of a light bulb away!
Coming up is a supermoon! This year there are two full Moons popularly known as supermoons. They rise in March and April.
The moon’s orbit around Earth is slightly oval shaped or elliptical. So, every month there’s a time when the Moon is at its closest distance to Earth (at perigee) and another time when it is at its furthest distance from Earth (at apogee).
Astronomers often say ‘Moon at perigee’ or ‘Moon at apogee’ in conversation. When perigee coincides with the full Moon, it’s popularly called a ‘supermoon’. And when the Moon is at apogee? Well, it’s a ‘micromoon’! Although supermoon and micromoon are not official astronomical terms, they certainly grab your attention which means we have more people heading outside to gaze up at the wonderful night sky.
When to look: 10 March 2020.
Moonrise is at 7.25 pm. The Moon will be at perigee and only 357,122 km from Earth.
Which direction to look: The Moon rises in the east.
Does a supermoon look bigger to the naked eye? Find out at https://astrotourismwa.com.au/supermoon/
Leap into Astrofest 29 February 2020
WA is quickly growing a reputation as an astronomy hot spot! The astronomy community in WA celebrate this by putting on the headline event, Astrofest.
Immerse yourself in fun astronomy and stargazing activities! This amazing event in Perth attracts over 4,000 visitors. It’s free and family friendly.
Dozens of big telescopes on the oval show off some wonderful views of the Universe. Join in the fun, meet amateur astronomers, talk astronomy and enjoy a community of stargazing enthusiasts.
For more details on this and other events, visit www.astrotourismwa.com.au/events.
