The full moon in May is the last super moon of 2020

The term comes from astrology - but the super moon means an astronomical phenomenon: the full moon comes very close to earth.

• If the full moon comes particularly close to Earth on its orbit, it is a super moon
• The full moon on May 6 is the next super moon - as can be seen
• The super moon has real effects on Earth - which they are

Update of May 5, 2020: The full moon in May is the fourth and last so-called  "super moon" of the year 2020. In the early morning of May 6, 2020 is approaching the full moon of the Earth at up to 359,654 km, some time later, on May 7, 2020 at 12.45 p.m. the moon becomes a full moon.

The super moon on the 6th and 7th May 2020 is the fourth super moon within four months: The full moons in February, March and April 2020 were already considered to be the  "super moon " . How a super moon is formed, how it is defined and who is responsible for this definition - which does not come from astronomy - can be read below in the article.

Super moon in April and May 2020: what's behind the phenomenon

First report from April 2, 2020: The moon orbits the earth once within 27 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes. The distance between the earth and the moon fluctuates , because the earth satellite does not move in a circular path around the earth, but rather somewhat elliptically. With each orbit around the earth, the moon reaches a point called near-earth (perigee) and a point called distant from the earth (apogee) . If the moon comes close to the earth while it is in the full moon phase , this phenomenon is colloquially called "super moon " . This term is not used in science, but it is now quite widespread.

The term "super moon" was coined in 1979 by astrologer Richard Nolle. According to its definition, the need full moon earth approach to at least 367,600 km to the Super Moon to apply. The moon does this at least four times a year, the next time around April 8, 2020.

Super moon in April and May 2020: full moon reaches near earth

The moon will reach the full moon phase on April 8, 2020 at 4:35 a.m. The evening before - i.e. on the night of April 7th to 8th, 2020 - the moon reached the point close to earth. He comes to the earth then briefly to 356,910 km and is therefore close to a Super Moon .

During the #sunset with rain fronts, the #full moon (6:47 p.m.) appears in the east as a particularly large, near-earth #supermond in the Jungfrau
In the west, Venus can be seen in the starry sky with many other stars⭐️

✨Quiet night

every✨ .2020 pic.twitter.com/dK0sNDbycO

You can also see that: The super moon appears somewhat larger in the night sky than the average moon. The Super moon can according to the US Space Agency Nasa up to 14 percent appear larger than the moon at its apogee (apogee) . In addition, the super moon appears much brighter than a "normal" full moon . Although the surface of the moon does not become brighter, it appears larger from the Earth's perspective and the Earth reaches more moonlight. The super moon can shine up to 30 percent brighter than the moon away from the earth .

How to watch the super moon in April and May 2020

The moon rises in the east on April 7 at around 7 p.m. (the rising time may vary by a few minutes, depending on the observation location) and rises in the sky to the south over the course of the night. On April 8, 2020 at 4.35 a.m. it will officially become a full moon - at this time it will be in the sky in the southwest. Shortly after 7 a.m. (here, too, the time can vary slightly depending on the observation location), the moon sets in the west.

The super moon is also always a popular photo motif. Seen here: the super moon from November 14, 2016 behind the Frankfurt skyline.

© picture alliance / dpa / Boris Roessler

If you want to observe the super moon , you should look for an observation position to the east after 7 p.m. The lower the moon is in the sky , the bigger it looks - behind it is an optical illusion (the "moon illusion"), the cause of which is not fully understood.

Super moon in April and May 2020 affects Earth

A super moon is not only beautiful to look at, it actually has an impact on the earth: it triggers spring tides . This actually happens about every two weeks - whenever the earth, moon and sun are in a straight line. The spring tide occurs at full moon (earth between sun and moon) and new moon (moon between sun and earth). This effect is intensified if the moon is at the same time in the perigee , i.e. particularly close to the earth.

The moon will reach its distance from the earth in April 2020 on April 20. Then it is 406,460 kilometers from our planet. On average, the moon is at a distance of 382,900 kilometers from the earth.

Next super moon already in May 2020

The next Super Moon will not have to wait long for the rest: even the full moon in May 2020 counts with a distance of 366,824 kilometers to the super moons. But no matter how close the moon is to earth : it is always worth taking a quick look at it when it is in the sky. After all, the Earth would not be the same without the Moon - the Moon affects more than just the tides on Earth *.

Even beyond the super moon, you can observe some things in the starry sky in April. The planet "Venus" is particularly striking as the "evening star". The falling stream of the Lyrids also falls in April. If you own a telescope, you can try to find the comet "Atlas" near the constellations "Großer Wagen" and "Giraffe". There is currently hope that comet "Atlas" will soon be seen with the naked eye.

By Tanja Banner

* fr.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital central editorial office.

List of rubric lists: © picture alliance / Marcel Kusch / dpa