Update 29 Sep 2023: Final supermoon of 2023 illuminates Singapore sky on Mid-Autumn Festival
The Harvest Moon sighted at Woodlands Avenue 5 on Sep 29, 2023. (Photo: A Kannan)
Those celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival were in for a treat as the last supermoon of 2023 was seen over Singapore on Friday (Sep 29) night. Coinciding with the festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival, the fourth supermoon began rising at 7pm from the east.
As the full moon occurs closest to the September equinox every year, with corn harvested around the same time, this full moon is also referred to as the Harvest Moon or Corn Moon, according to Facebook group Stargazing Singapore on Thursday. Despite cloudy conditions during moonrise, CNA reader A Kannan managed to capture photos of the Harvest Moon from Woodlands. He said that the moon became "'clearly visible" at about 8pm, with the "occasional passing clouds shrouding the moon". Mr Kannan also had the chance to see Jupiter above the moon at about 6am on Friday.
He noted the moon was about 361,800km away from Earth when the photos were taken, adding that it was "closer, brighter and bigger than the normal moon we see during other months". The moon, which is expected to set on Saturday morning at about 7.20am, will appear "reddish", said Mr Kannan.
2 Supermoons Will Rise On 1 & 31 Aug 2023 Including First Blue Moon Since 2020
Earlier this month, the supermoon on 3 July, also known as the Buck Moon, dazzled Singaporeans with its gorgeous golden hue.
If you were one of those who missed it, fret not as August will have not just one, but two supermoons you can look forward to. Happening first would be the Sturgeon Moon, which will rise on Tuesday (1 Aug). It will reach its optimal height in Singapore at 9pm.
The second supermoon in August is a Blue Moon which will rise on Thursday (31 Aug) and be at its peak at 9pm as well. Notably, this is the first Blue Moon in about two years.
Supermoon On 3 July Dazzles S’poreans Despite Cloud Cover
The supermoon finally rewarded photographers' persistence by emerging from the clouds after 8pm
First Supermoon Of 2023 Lights Up Night Sky On 3 July, Though Partially Obscured By Clouds.
After a gap of about 11 months, a supermoon finally returned to Singapore’s skies on Monday (3 July). Its return caused much excitement among photographers, who strived to capture it in all its glory.
Though the supermoon was partially obscured by cloud cover, Singaporeans were dazzled by its size and brightness. Some even quipped that the supermoon was “shy”.
WHAT IS A BLUE MOON?
The modern day definition of a Blue Moon is when there are 2 Full Moons in one Month. A Full Moon occurs roughly every 29.5 days and on the rare occasions when the Full Moon falls at the very beginning of a month there is a good chance a Blue Moon will occur at the end of the month. According to this definition the next Blue Moon will occur on January 31, 2018.
ORIGINAL BLUE MOON DEFINITION:
- The modern definition of a Blue Moon was derived from an earlier idea of what a Blue Moon was. This earlier definition says a Blue Moon is when there are 4 Full Moons in a season rather than the usual 3. The Blue moon is the 3rd Full Moon out of the 4. This definition gets a bit complicated and it's origins are murky. One school of thought has to do with the naming of the Full Moons. Many cultures named the Full Moons each month to reflected the times for planting, harvesting or seasonal conditions. When an extra Full Moon was thrown in it was referred to as a Blue Moon to keep the Full Moon names constant throughout the year.
- Another origin could be from the Christian ecclesiastical calendar. This one gets even more tricky but basically has to do with the idea that there are usually 12 Full Moons in a year. The Full Moons on this calendar were important markers for determining curtain dates such as Easter. When a 13th Full moon was thrown into the year it made things messy so giving it a name allowed the calendar to stay on track.
- The idea of a Blue Moon being the extra full moon in a season (or when there were 13 in a year) was widely used in 19th and early 20th center Farmers Almanacs and the more modern version seems to have come from an article written in the 1930's that misinterpreted the Farmers Almanac definition. The article was names "Once in a Blue Moon" and from that point on the term became part of popular culture.
IS THE MOON EVER THE COLOR BLUE?
- This is a very rare event but it does happen. There are a few recorded events when forest fires or ash volcanic eruptions have given the moon a bluish color. The moon can also has a blueish color on very cold winter nights when ice crystals in the air form a ring around the moon. Of course the idea of the moon being blue is very subjective and left up to ones own interpretation.
- An interesting twist to the idea of a Blue Moon is the idea of Dark Moon. Sometimes the reference of a Dark Moon is given when there are 2 new moons is a calendar month, the opposite of a Blue Moon. Other definitions say it is when there is no Full moon is a calendar month. Neither of these definitions or the term Dark Moon is used very often. Neither has any scientific bases and is more a part of popular culture.
