One of the two supermoons of 2021, the Super Pink Full Moon will be gracing the night skies on Tuesday. A super moon is just another full moon day, however what makes it special is the appearance of the moon — both its size and brightness — is pronounced.During a supermoon, the full moon can appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than when it is at its farthest point from Earth.
Timings:
If celestial events excite you, then you can witness the Pink Supermoon tonight provided the sky is clear and the air pollution is at its minimum. According to NASA , the Pink Moon is technically on Monday, but it will appear full in the sky to observers for three days, from Sunday to Wednesday, i.e.
April 25 to April 28. It reached its fullest phase on Monday night at 03:32 a.m. GMT i.e. 9:02 am IST on Tuesday.
On Tuesday and Wednesday,the moon will be about 3, 57,378 kilometers away from Earth, that is about eight percent closer than the average day distance of the full moon which is 3,84,400 km.
Super Pink Moon 2020: Date, Time and How to Watch in India
Significance:
In India, the Supermoon is taking place on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. The full moon’s distance to Earth fluctuates because the moon’s orbit around our planetis not circular but very slightly elliptical. If the full moon occurs closer to the closest point to Earth on this slightly elliptical orbit, also known as perigee, it can appear bigger than if it occurs closer to the farthest point, also known as apogee. Full Moon that occurs when the moon is within 90% of perigee, its closest approach to Earth, is known as the supermoon.
Next Supermoon:
If you miss witnessing this week’s Supermoon, you can see a bigger and brighter Pink Supermoon that will take place next month. On May 26, the full moon will be even more closer to the Earth and slightly bigger.
