Tonight, on Monday, October 6th, there will be a big and bright Full Harvest Moon, which happens to be the very first ‘Supermoon’ of the year!
Whether you consider yourself an avid photographer, a full moon fan, or someone who enjoys the peaceful view of the night sky, tonight’s full moon is not a sight that you’ll want to miss.
When is the Harvest Supermoon going to be visible?
The first Supermoon of the year is going to take place tonight (Monday, October 6th), and, barring any sudden cloud cover, should be totally visible from just about anywhere around the District!
The Harvest Supermoon is slated to reach ‘peak fullness’ at approximately 11:48 pm, just before midnight!
So, while you definitely do not need to stay up late to catch a glimpse of the first supermoon of the year (the moon will start to rise just before 6:30 pm), you will have to push back your bedtime a bit if you want to see it at its peak.
What makes a Supermoon so special?
A Supermoon is a much rarer occurrence than your average full moon, which takes place roughly every 29.5 days, or the total length of the lunar cycle.
A Supermoon, to put it simply, occurs when a full moon happens to take place when the moon is exactly at its closest point to Earth, a point known as the perigee.
Typically, there are around 3 or 4 supermoons per year; however, some years there can be as few as two, and other years as many as five!
This year, for instance, there will only be two: tonight being the first and the second coming next month in November.
Best spots to view the supermoon around the District
The best spots around the District to view the supermoon will definitely be the same places that make for the best spots to catch a D.C. sunset!
Here are a few options that we recommend for moon-gazing:
- The Tidal Basin
- Hains Point
- Kendall Point
- Gravelly Point