Moon makes for super spectacle

This week's moon is abnormally close, but it's getting closer next month. Photo / AP

If you had trouble sleeping last night, blame it on the full moon.

Last night’s moon wasn’t just at its monthly peak however, it was also much closer than usual, kicking off a run of four supermoons in a row.

Between now and the end of September, the full moons coincide with the moon being within 90 per cent of its closest approach to Earth, the definition of a supermoon as coined by American astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979.

“They usually occur about three or four times a year,” said John Rowe, an astronomer educator at the Stardome Observatory in Auckland. “Most people will easily notice the moon looking bigger and brighter than usual – it may surprise them.”

This week the moon will be 361,934km away from Earth at its closest point; August 1 will see it drifting closer to 357,530km; August 30-31 the moon will be at its closest this year at 357,344km away; and September 28-29 the distance starts to increase again, to 361,552km.

The second full moon in August is called a blue moon - the second full moon within a single calendar month.

Supermoons bringing higher than normal tides - king tides. Photo / AP

The combination of a full moon and supermoon has a noticeable effect on the oceans with the gravitational pull more pronounced, producing very high tides, or king tides. Stronger tidal flows occur as more water sloshes around and can be potentially hazardous. If you were thinking about a mid-winter dip, perhaps make it in a pool or put it off for a week. Some coastal inundations could occur in low-lying coastal areas.

With the moon noticeably larger (about 15 per cent bigger than a micromoon, at the apogee, or furthest away) it will also seem brighter than normal.

“A supermoon can be as much as 30 per cent brighter than its opposite, a micromoon,” Rowe said.

Cloud cover will obscure the full moon in Auckland this week, unfortunately. Photo / AP

Stepping outside in the middle of the night may not require lighting unless the clouds are particularly thick.

Unfortunately, cloud cover is not looking conducive for moon-watching in Auckland this week. This may offer a little respite from those sleepless nights.