First supermoon of the year will light up the skies on Aug 19
A supermoon occurs when the Moon’s orbit is closest to Earth, making it appear larger and brighter.
Get ready for a celestial treat on Aug 19, when the night sky will be illuminated by the spectacular sturgeon moon. This is not just any full moon – it is a supermoon and a rare seasonal blue moon all in one, promising a mesmerising display for skygazers.
According to the Science Centre Observatory, the sturgeon moon, named by the Native Americans after the large sturgeon fish, will be visible from approximately 7pm Singapore time, reaching its highest point around 1am on Aug 20. The Moon will be about 360,000km from Earth, appearing 6 per cent to 7 per cent larger and brighter than usual.
A supermoon occurs when the Moon’s orbit is closest to Earth, making it appear larger and brighter. A blue moon refers to the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. Despite its name, the moon will not appear blue unless specific atmospheric conditions are present. The best places to view the sturgeon moon in Singapore include open public areas like the Marina Barrage, East Coast Park, and the Southern Ridges. These locations offer unobstructed and potentially elevated views of the night sky, said the Science Centre Observatory.
First Supermoon of 2024 Coming to the Sky Above You on August 19, They Call It Blue Moon
We humans are used to having a major source of light in the sky at night. The Moon has been reflecting the Sun's rays down to the surface for almost as long as the Earth has been around, so we barely pay any attention to it most of the time. But every now and then, the Moon grows so big it's kind of impossible to ignore: it becomes a supermoon.
A supermoon is a type of full Moon. It's a term that has been used since 1979, when astrologer Richard Nolle decided to call that the new or full Moon which happens when the satellite is within 90 percent of its closest approach to Earth (perigee). For the rest of us, supermoons are the biggest and brightest manifestations of the celestial body, and because they don't happen very often, they are spectacular enough to be borderline scary for some people. So scary, in fact, that some have linked it, with no piece of evidence to back up the claim, to an increased risk of earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
The last supermoon was visible on September 29, 2023, meaning we've had none so far this year. Yet, for the remainder of 2024, no less than four supermoons are coming our way. The first one, the so-called Blue Moon, will become visible on August 19 at 2:26 PM EDT, and it will maintain its full size and brightness for almost three days.
Rare supermoon to light up the sky this month - here's how to see it
A rare supermoon will illuminate the night sky this month, appearing bigger and brighter than any moon seen this year. The August full moon, nicknamed the Sturgeon moon, is set to dazzle in the night sky on August 19 when it glows around 30 percent brighter than a typical evening. Astronomers recommend Americans head outside just after 8pm ET to catch the best views.
But there will also be a series of back-to-back giant moons over the next few months if you miss this one. The Sturgeon moon will be fullest at 2:26pm ET on August 19, but people in the US won't be able to see it at that point. That's because it will be on the opposite side of the Earth. Hopeful viewers in the US will have to wait until moonrise, which will be around 8:07 p.m. ET, according to the Farmer's Almanac.
On the East Coast, the supermoon will rise towards the east-southeastern skies, peaking about one-third of the way through the sky before setting at about 7:00am in the west-southwest. Supermoons look biggest and brightest when they're closest to the horizon, so the best time to see it will be just after moonrise or just before moonset. That's because when it's near the horizon, there are objects like trees and buildings compare the moon's size too.
What is a Supermoon?
A full Moon is described as a “Supermoon” when there is the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in the largest apparent size of the lunar disk as seen from Earth
A supermoon occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth at the same time it is full. So what’s so special about a supermoon? Turns out, it’s a bit more subtle than it sounds—but for the interested observer, there’s plenty to see and learn:
- The Moon orbits Earth in an ellipse, an oval that brings it closer to and farther from Earth as it goes around.
- The farthest point in this ellipse is called the apogee and is about 253,000 miles (405,500 kilometers) from Earth on average.
- Its closest point is the perigee, which is an average distance of about 226,000 miles (363,300 kilometers) from Earth.
- When a full moon appears at perigee it is slightly brighter and larger than a regular full moon—and that’s where we get a “supermoon.”
The term “supermoon” was coined in 1979 and is often used today to describe what astronomers would call a perigean (pear-ih-jee-un) full moon: a full moon occurring near or at the time when the Moon is at its closest point in its orbit around Earth.
The term gives preference to the geometric alignment of Sun-Earth-Moon and allows the occurrence of perigee into a wider time period than the actual instant of perigee (up to about two weeks, which is almost half of the Moon’s orbit).
