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.
Last supermoon of 2023, Jupiter and Saturn to be visible over Singapore on Sep 29
A super Blue Moon rises behind Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on Aug 31, 2023. (File photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
Remember to look up on Friday (Sep 29) evening for the fourth and final supermoon of the year. Its appearance will coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival, which is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.
As the full moon occurs closest to the autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere, it will also be referred to as a Harvest Moon, the Science Centre Observatory said on Monday. "For several evenings during this period, the gibbous moon rises earlier than in other months. A moon is described as gibbous when the moon is more than half-full, but not quite fully illuminated, when looked at from the Earth's perspective," it added. "This results in (an) abundance of bright moonlight early in the evening, which traditionally provided greater aid to farmers and crews harvesting their summer crops."
Supermoons occur when the moon's orbit is closer to the Earth, making the moon appear larger and brighter than usual. The phenomenon has already been seen three times in 2023 – the Buck Moon in July as well as the Sturgeon Moon and the Blue Moon in August were all supermoons.
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