SUPER BLUE MOON
SUPER BLUE MOON
WHY IN NEWS?
A phenomenon that occurs at an approximate time of 10 years has recently been reported to have been observed called Super Blue Moon.
About Super Blue Moon
It is a rare convergence of Supermoon and blue moon that is formed when the full Moon is at or near the perigee (its closest point to Earth).
- The point closest to earth in the moon’s elliptical orbit is called perigee, and the point that is farthest is called apogee.
- A super moon is formed when the moon is passing through or is close to its perigee, and is also a full moon. This phenomenon happens with a new moon as well, just that it is not visible.
- A full moon occurs when the moon is directly opposite the sun (as seen from earth), and therefore, has its entire day side lit up.
- The full moon appears as a brilliant circle in the sky that rises around sunset and sets around sunrise.
- According to NASA, a full moon at perigee (super moon) is 14% bigger and 30% brighter than a full moon at apogee (called a “micro moon”).
There are two types of blue moon –
- A monthly blue moon that is formed when the full moon is seen twice in a single month.
- A seasonal blue moon that is formed when there are four full moons in a single season (in place of three as a usual count).