On Thursday evening we recommend a dark place with a clear view: Shortly after sunset there is a double celestial spectacle.
Sky watchers can look forward to a double spectacle in the firmament on Thursday evening – provided the weather is good. While a particularly large full moon – also known as a supermoon – rises in the southeast in the early evening, the comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas makes its orbit in the western sky.
The actual full moon will be reached on Thursday at 1:26 p.m. On this day, the Earth’s satellite comes within 357,174 kilometers of its mother planet. For comparison: If it is particularly far away, the distance can be 406,000 kilometers. “The moon orbits the Earth on an elliptical orbit,” explains Uwe Pilz from the Association of Star Friends. “That’s why it’s sometimes closer to the Earth, sometimes further away.”
In general, the moon appears particularly powerful when it is low – and not high in the sky. This “moon illusion” or “moon illusion” is because those viewing it place it in relation to earthly objects on the horizon, such as mountains, trees or buildings, explains Pilz.
The coincidence of the full moon and proximity to the earth leads to extreme tides such as spring tides – because the sun, moon and earth are in one line. Any autumn storms can intensify this effect.
If you want to observe the supermoon and the comet on Thursday evening, you shouldn’t wait too long: Tsuchinshan Atlas is – as the expert Pilz emphasizes – still close to the sun. About three quarters of an hour after sunset is a good time to keep an eye out. However, the comet’s visibility is affected by the light of the rising full moon.
Until recently, it was not clear whether the comet would even pass Earth. At the end of September, C/2023 A3, the scientific name of Tsuchinshan Atlas, had reached its perihelion – this refers to the point of the comet’s orbit closest to the Sun. If it had come too close to the sun, it could have disintegrated due to the extreme heat.