2023-08-05 08:00:00
The first time I saw a moonrise on the shores of Lac Saint-Jean, I was with a friend. We were coming back from fishing and he asks me: what is the red line on the other side of the lake towards Saint-Gédéon? I answer him: I don’t know, it looks like a fire. And while I was talking to him, I saw my first live moonrise. I saw her round her back to finish full and reflect in the lake like a silver path.
I didn’t know, but there are moonrise calendars for every city in the world. Thus, we know that on Saturday August 5, 2023, the moonrise will be at 10:25 p.m. in Roberval.
So we were able to take advantage of the show this week to watch the August supermoon. The August Full Moon is traditionally known as the Sturgeon Moon.
We also learn on the various websites that the August full moon appears brighter and larger than usual because it is closer than usual, only 357,530 kilometers away.
“Because of its elliptical orbit, the distance from the Moon to the Earth generally varies between approximately 363,345 and 405,500 km”, specifies one on the site of the Astronomical society of the Planetarium of Montreal.
After the Sturgeon Moon, the next Full Moon, the Blue Moon (nothing to do with color), will be on August 30. The biggest and brightest supermoon of 2023, the Blue Moon will be 357,344 kilometers from Earth. That is to say 33 kilometers closer than the Sturgeon Moon, we learn on the various astronomy sites.
And no, the Moon does not rise, like the Sun, almost at the same place a few minutes difference from the day before. As it orbits the Earth in 28 days, it shifts eastward by about 12 degrees each day, causing the Moonrises to differ by about 40 minutes per day.
I wrote recently that the benefits of nature are prescribed by doctors. Well, I can assure you the same is true with the sky. Astronomy is a very satisfying hobby for the mind. Looking at the Moon with approach glasses makes us dream. Learning to name the different constellations in the sky gives us beautiful landmarks when we look up at the sky on summer nights. We are all the luckier in our region, because there is little light pollution. We can therefore easily find places to observe the sky in an impeccable way.
Now, with mobile phone applications, such as “Sky View”, constellations such as Ursa Minor and Ursa Major, Polaris, Cassiopeia, Pleiades, Herdsman or Orion can easily be found. Meet Arcturus, the brightest star in all of the celestial north.
Each of these constellations and their stars have been part of mythology and have told stories for millennia. The sky not only guided the Magi, but also all the navigators on the seven seas.
We have a beautiful area to observe the sky. Montreal has the REM and we have the stars, you have to know how to take advantage of it. Happy end of construction holidays!
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