The Super Full Moon on Wednesday was more special as it was also a blue moon, the second of two full moons in a calendar month. - The Nation
CHIANG MAI (The Nation/Asia News Network): Residents and tourists in Chiang Mai were treated on Wednesday (Aug 30) night to the spectacular sight of a Super Full Moon shining brightly in the slightly cloudy sky over the northern province.
A Super Full Moon or Supermoon is a full moon that nearly coincides with perigee—the closest that the Moon comes to the Earth in its elliptic orbit—resulting in an apparently larger size of the lunar disk as viewed from Earth.
The perigee is about 356,400 km from Earth, and this year the Moon orbited as near as 357,185 km from Earth on Wednesday night, allowing observers to see the noticeably bigger moon from 8.15pm until early Thursday, the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (Narit) said.
Although the Super Full Moon can be seen with the naked eye, the institute set up telescopes of several sizes for people to witness the lunar phenomenon up close.
According to Narit, the Super Full Moon could be about 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter compared to when it was farthest away from Earth in February this year.
The Super Full Moon on Wednesday was more special as it was also a blue moon, the second of two full moons in a calendar month. Some call it the “Super Blue Moon”.
Blue moons are not common, occurring once every two to three years, with the last appearance on Oct 31, 2020.
The next super full moon is expected on Oct 17, 2024 while the next blue moon will be on May 31, 2026.
