Everything you need to know about Thursday's supermoon
The last supermoon of the year lit up the skies over Alberta on Thursday night.
Supermoon, a term coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 refers to a full moon at perigee.
What is perigee? Well, our moon orbits Earth in an ellipse(oval) pattern, so there is a point where the moon is at it's most furthest and closest distances to Earth.
When the moon's orbit is closest to the Earth it is at perigee, alternatively when the moon is at it's furthest point it's called the apogee.
Thursday night the moon was at perigee with Earth, making it look bigger and brighter than an average full moon.
In some cases the moon can appear as much as eight per cent larger than a full moon at it's average distance from Earth and up to 14 per cent larger than a full moon when at it's furthest distance from the earth (apogean full moon).
The moon can also appear 30 per cent brighter too.
Also, not only was Thursday night's full moon a supermoon, but it was also a Sturgeon Moon. Sturgeon Moon is a name used by The Old Farmer's Almanac.
At different points in the year full moons were given 'nicknames' according to their occurrence with what was happening at that time.
In North America, Indigenous groups and European settlers came up with these alternate names. S
turgeon Moon (August's full moon) came from the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain regions as this is when the Sturgeon fish were most readily caught.
Here are a few alternate August moon names, Harvest Moon (Dakota), Corn Moon (Algonquin) and Ricing Moon (Anishinaabe).
The next supermoon will be on August 1, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
RateMDs violates privacy of health professionals, class-action lawsuit claims
A lawsuit against RateMDs has been given the go-ahead by a B.C. Supreme Court judge who found the claim that the website violates the privacy rights of medical professionals is not 'bound to fail.'