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New Delhi, India (BBN) – It’s Supermoon Sunday. The full moon is at perigee, the point in its orbit when it’s closest to the earth.
The only visible Supermoon of 2017 will be observable to the entire world, reports NDTV.
According to NASA, the moon will appear 7 per cent larger and 15 per cent brighter than the average Full Moon. It will also be 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than the Micromoon, which is when the full moon is at apogee or the point in its orbit when it’s furthest from the earth.
The last time the Supermoon was observed was in November 2016, when the moon was especially ‘super’, since it was closest to the earth it had been since 1948. Another Supermoon like that won’t be witnessed until 2034.
Since the earth is closer to the Sun during winters in the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun’s gravity pulls the moon closer to earth. As a result, Supermoons this time of the year appear closer than the ones during the rest of the year.
The Supermoon, however, is not an astronomical term and was coined by American astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. According to timeanddate.com, a Supermoon occurs when the centre of the moon is closer than 360,000 km to the centre of the earth.
The best time to witness the Supermoon is right after moonrise. When the moon is just above the horizon, it appears brightest and largest. This is called the Moon illusion.
BBN/MMI/ANS
