October’s supermoon pairs with a comet for a special nighttime spectacle
Colorado October supermoon - an incredible timing paired with a comet
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — October’s supermoon is the closest of the year and it’s teaming up with a comet for a rare stargazing two-for-one.
The third of four supermoons this year, it will be 222,055 miles (357,364 kilometers) away Wednesday night, making it seem even bigger and brighter than in August and September. It will reach its full lunar phase Thursday.
In a twist of cosmic fate, a comet is in the neighborhood. Discovered last year, comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas is now prominent in the Northern Hemisphere after wowing stargazers in the Southern Hemisphere.
The moonlight will wash out some of the comet’s tail, but it’s still worth a look after sunset, said NASA’s Bill Cooke.
“Most astronomers hate the full moon because its bright light messes up observing other objects. So it’s a bit hard for us to wax poetic about it even if it’s the biggest supermoon of 2024,” he said in an email.
Better catch the comet; it may never return. But don’t fret if you miss Thursday’s supermoon. The fourth and final supermoon of the year will rise on Nov. 15.
What makes a moon so super?
More a popular term than a scientific one, a supermoon occurs