Telescopes at the ready for the supermoon.
Camera IconTelescopes at the ready for the supermoon. Credit: Supplied/AES Astronomy Education Services

Supermoon will mark rise of new education unit at Gravity Discovery Centre

Lucy JarvisNorth Coast Times

The observatory will hold the launch on October 27 to coincide with a rare astronomical event – the supermoon.

GDC board member and UWA Professor David Blair said the supermoon rising that day would coincide with the setting sun.

“Supermoons occur when the moon comes closer than 360,000km from the Earth,” he said.

“The sun and moon will be touching opposite horizons – only in Western Australia will the timing be so perfect.

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“The enormous pale disk of the moon will be touching the Darling scarp while the bright red disk of the sun will be touching the Indian Ocean horizon.”

Prof Blair said this celestial spectacle would occur between 6.25pm and 6.36pm.