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Supermoon 2018

Team StoryWeavers|December 22, 2017, 06:29 IST| 57

“…Finally the sun disappears altogether and then the moon, shining still more brightly, proudly ascends the throne of the sun.”

On December 3rd, we all witnessed the ‘Full Cold Moon’, the closest and the brightest full moon of 2017. The amazing sky watching event was a treat to the moon-gazers, yet not all were aware of the heralding Supermoon. From time to time, Supermoons make the moon appear a little brighter and closer than normal, although the difference is hard to spot with the naked eye.

What is a Supermoon and how often does it occur?

A Supermoon is a Full Moon or a New Moon that approximately coincides with the closest distance that the Moon reaches to Earth in its elliptical orbit, resulting in a larger-than-usual apparent size of the lunar disk as seen from Earth.

The orbit of the Moon is distinctly elliptical in shape. The non-circular form of the lunar orbit causes variations in the Moon’s angular speed and the apparent size as it moves towards and away from an observer on Earth. The point of the orbit closest to Earth is called Perigee, while the point farthest from the Earth is known as Apogee. Thus, Perigee and Apogee refer to the distance from the Earth to the Moon. A full moon at Perigee can appear 14 percent larger to viewers on Earth. It can also be 30 percent brighter than other Full Moons.

Hence the answer to the above question lies with where the moon is on its orbit of Earth. Generally, Supermoons occur about every 414 days, but that is just an average count. They can occur several times a year.

When is the next Supermoon?

This time, it kicked off a trilogy of consecutive Supermoons: First was on 3rd December 2017, and the next ones will happen on January 3rd and 31st 2018.

If you can catch only one episode of the Supermoon trilogy, catch the third one as it will be extra special. First of fall, the January 31st Supermoon will feature a total lunar eclipse which will be totally viewable from Western Northern America across the Pacific to Eastern Asia. The moon’s orbit around our planet is tilted, so it usually falls above or below the shadow of the Earth. About twice each year, a full moon lines up perfectly with the Earth and the Sun such that the Earth’s shadow totally blocks the Sun’s light which will normally be reflected off the Moon.

The Lunar Eclipse on January 31st will be visible during moonset, falling under the Eastern United States where the Eclipse will be partial. The Moon will lose its brightness and will take on an eerie but faint hue with a normal glow from the scattered sunlight that makes its way through the Earth’s atmosphere. As a result, it will cast a reddish hue because the way the atmosphere bends the light.

Totally eclipsed moons are sometimes called the Blood Moon.

Image showing a Full, Partly Eclipsed and Totally Eclipsed Reddish Moon

On January 31st, the Supermoon will also be the second full Moon of the month. Some people call the second full moon in a month, a Blue Moon; that makes it’s a Super-Blue Moon.

The Supermoons are great opportunities for the people to start looking at the moon, not just once but every chance they have. It’s hard for our eyes to distinguish these small changes in size when the moon is high amidst the vastness of the night sky. But anytime you catch a full moon as it rises or sets, while its suspended low on the horizon beaming through the silhouettes of the trees or buildings, its apparent size might make you do a double take.

And this time with a total eclipse, it will be a royal spectacle indeed: a Super-Blue-Blood Moon. Sometimes the celestial rhythm sync up just right to wow us! So don’t miss this moment, step out into the Moon rise or Moon set and look up for the trilogy of sky watching treats.

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Comments



Sarvani

June 21, 2018

Oh it is really super news


Priyanshi Jain

June 8, 2018

I didn’t watch it. By this I watch it. It is so beautiful and lovely????☺☺?


Chandana

June 5, 2018

Wow!it’s really amazing to watch super moon


Anjana

May 30, 2018

Hoo it’s interesting.?


Meghanjali

May 26, 2018

Ohhh I was going to find about that .?and here I got it..
Thanks byju’s??


Adwaith krishna

May 25, 2018

It was amazing………………………


Anirban Mondal

May 23, 2018

In my language.AWESOME!!!!?????


Bhanu tej

May 23, 2018

Wow the moon is so cool


Kevin

May 21, 2018

It was an awesome message


tanya

May 21, 2018

this is sounds interesting….??


Aditya Srivastava

May 20, 2018

Wow cannot believe it!!!


Ruqhiya

May 17, 2018

Excellent i am happy and very excited to see the moon?


Anushka Ghosh

May 17, 2018

Wow..it’s so interesting.


aneena

May 16, 2018

wow


aneena

May 16, 2018

wow . it beautifull to saw the moon in the sky that day .i can’t forget that day .becausce the all night i was looking at the sky and witeness the m00n


FARHA

May 14, 2018

Will anyone from anothsr planet be seeing our earth as super earth like this??


Chandrabala

May 12, 2018

A good article to know about the super moons and the scientific reasons of the occurrence, also their possibilities of occurrence


Psk ramakanth

May 12, 2018

It was a beautiful happening which takes place once in a blue moon


Thejal vibhas

May 11, 2018

Superb ?
Thank you
Byju’s


Keshvi

May 10, 2018

Wow I am happy and excited to see the moon ?


Bushra fatima

May 10, 2018

Wow wonderful


Fremi

May 9, 2018

I have seen this sight through telescopic view.
It was amazing experience.
I know this things because I am practical.
Very good and reliable information contained in this website


Harshini

May 9, 2018

Wow


Harshini

May 9, 2018

Wow


Vaishnavi

May 8, 2018

Wow amazing


Ankita

May 8, 2018

Very interesting news


Ankita

May 8, 2018

Its very amazing and a very good


Anusmita

May 8, 2018

I love it. I will definitely see the super, red, blue moon ????????


Sanjana

May 8, 2018

An interesting article.


Arpita

May 8, 2018

Really?? I thought super moon was superman
At first but now I realize that the super
moon is an amazing thing-SUPER-BLUE-BLOOD-MOON
!!!!!!!!!


Akshat

May 7, 2018

Good news I didn’t know it


DIYA E T

May 7, 2018

Awesome! A very good information . Thanks byjus


Nandini.B.C

May 7, 2018

The best learning app I had never seen.I have been using since 1 year it really helps me a lot.Thank u Byjus


Vatsal gupta

May 7, 2018

I got some more information about supermoon . I am excited to see it.


Vinita kumari

May 7, 2018

Wow… superb


Prakhar Sharma

May 7, 2018

Interesting


Thasreen

May 7, 2018

Super


Om dave

May 7, 2018

What are the power of SUPER MOON it is good for us or not


Deepthi

May 7, 2018

Amazing facts


Janhvi

May 7, 2018

That is quite interesting!!!!!!☺☺☺


Gayatri

May 7, 2018

Really very useful information. Thank you byju’s.


Numera

May 7, 2018

Nature has made things so beautiful for us


Hamna nazar

May 6, 2018

Awsome!!! I came to know a lot about the “bloody” moon!!!!

THANKS BYJUS!! DOING A GREAT JOB!!!!


Ganap Tewary

May 6, 2018

Great words about the moon by BYJU`S


Ganap Tewary

May 6, 2018

A good way to learn a bit more about the moon and the universe.


Mohammed Arshi

May 6, 2018

Good explanation about this part of solar system


Jessica

May 6, 2018

It feels Great to explore..something new
Great going byju’s


Ridhi Golchha

May 6, 2018

Really nice
I didn’t know but truly good news on super moon.
But what is super moon. Is it super man


Srishti Verma

May 6, 2018

Yeah.. It was a breathtaking view…. It awed us, totally mesmerizing


Khushleen

May 6, 2018

It was beautiful…


Sneha

May 6, 2018

Ya I saw the super blue blood moon and it was really a wonderful experience!


Diptee

May 6, 2018

Great information…..


Kajal rai

May 6, 2018

Wow I am very excited to see the beautiful moon??? t


Jhanvi Nysa Rao

May 6, 2018

Constantly waiting to see the SUPER – BLUE-BLOOD MOON.


Anshuman Dev

May 6, 2018

Wow


Honey

May 6, 2018

Wow it seem and sounds like a good news


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