This week, take a moment to enjoy the full moon. For the next three nights, our natural satellite will appear more or less fully illuminated. Catch it rising above the horizon if you can, it’s a beautiful moment to witness. Find a clear eastern view, and settle yourself at least five minutes before the time.
On Monday night, from London, moonrise takes place at 19:28 BST. On Tuesday, it is at 20:59 BST, and on Wednesday 22:31 BST. On each of these nights, roughly 98% of the moon’s surface will be illuminated from Earth. From Sydney, moonrise times are 16:57 AEST on 26 April, 17:33 AEST on 27 April and 18:13 AEST on 28 April.
The moon usually takes a few minutes to rise above the horizon, so its movement is easily perceptible. For added interest, this full moon is also a supermoon, meaning it will appear somewhat larger than an average full moon because it happens to be near the closest point of its orbit to Earth.
The centre of the moon is 357,615km away from the centre of the Earth in April. A closer full supermoon will occur in May.
