astronomy
Supermoon not visible everywhere
In Bavaria, the full moon occasionally shone through the cloud cover. Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The full moon shone impressively large and brightly in the night sky. In some parts of Germany, however, the so-called super moon was covered by veil clouds.
Brighter and a little larger than usual, the moon caught everyone’s attention during the night.
The phenomenon known as the supermoon can be explained by the fact that the earth’s satellite comes relatively close to our planet at a distance of 360,000 kilometers and is almost at the same time full moon. It looks particularly large after it has risen and just before it sets on the horizon.
The full moon was not easy to observe in all parts of Germany this time: it was not clearly visible in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein in particular, said a meteorologist from the German Weather Service (DWD) early Wednesday morning. There he only occasionally shone through the veil of clouds. The view of the moon was also difficult in parts of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Specialists refer to perigee as the point at which the moon comes closest to the earth in its elliptical orbit. If it goes through the full moon phase at the same time, it is called a super moon.