Will Biggest, Brightest Supermoon Of 2024 Outshine Comet In NJ?

NEW JERSEY — The third — and brightest — of four consecutive supermoons in 2024 will shine over New Jersey Wednesday, coinciding with a once-in-a-lifetime comet.

The moon technically reaches peak illumination on Thursday morning, but you should be able to see the full supermoon effect on Wednesday evening, weather permitting.

This super hunter’s moon will be particularly spectacular around sunset, when it will appear larger and more orange in the sky as it rises over the horizon. Moonrise is around the same time for several days, offering a few more chances to catch it.

The National Weather Service forecasts mostly clear skies in the Garden State on Wednesday evening to spot the supermoon, and also through the weekend — as there are more celestial sights you might want to get out and see.

Also gracing the sky this month is the once-in-a-lifetime Comet C/2023A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which one of our readers snapped pictures of earlier this week. The bright moonlight will wash out some of the comet’s tail during the few remaining evenings it will be visible, NASA’s Bill Cooke told The Associated Press in an email.

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“Most astronomers hate the full moon because its bright light messes up observing other objects,” he said. “So it’s a bit hard for us to wax poetic about it even if it’s the biggest supermoon of the year.”

Still, Cooke said it’s worth taking a look because it won’t return in our lifetimes. The comet will appear on the western horizon around sunset through the month but will appear higher in the sky as time passes and, thus, will be harder to see.

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If you miss this one, there’s still another chance to see a supermoon this year. The final supermoon of the year will rise on Nov. 15. It won’t appear as bright and large. The October supermoon is 222,055 miles from Earth, followed by the November supermoon at a distance of 224,853 miles.

More a popular term than a scientific one, a supermoon occurs when a full lunar phase syncs up with an especially close swing around Earth. This usually happens only three or four times a year and consecutively, given the moon’s constantly shifting, oval-shaped orbit.

A supermoon obviously isn’t bigger, but it can appear that way, although scientists say the difference can be barely perceptible.

Scientists point out that only the keenest observers can discern the subtle differences. It’s easier to detect the change in brightness — a supermoon can appear 30 percent brighter than average.

• Related: 2024 Guide To Meteor Showers, Supermoons, Other Celestial Events

And the Orionid meteor shower, which peaks Sunday and Monday, is also streaking through out sky. Although it usually produces only about 23 meteors an hour at its peak, NASA calls it one of the most beautiful shooting star shows of the year.

The meteors are both bright and fast, entering Earth’s atmosphere at about 148,000 miles per hour. Meteors that fast can leave glowing trains — that is, incandescent bits of debris that can last several seconds or even minutes — and also fireballs.

This shower is best viewed between the hours of midnight and dawn. Viewing conditions aren’t great this year. The moon will be about 80 percent illuminated during the peak, but because the Orionids are so fast and bright, the show may not be a total bust.

The Taurid meteor shower is also underway. What makes the long-running Taurid meteor shower unique is that it consists of two separate streams. Together, they run from about Sept. 28-Dec 2. Neither produces much more than five meteors an hour, but both streams are rich in fireballs and are often responsible for increased numbers of fireball reports, according to the American Meteor Society.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.