Skywatchers will see something spectacular on Saturday, 29 August, as the first "supermoon" of 2015 will make an appearance in the night sky.
A supermoon occurs when the moon's orbit is closest (perigee) to the earth and at the same time it is full, according to NASA. The moon can appear 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than normal at such events as the full moon coincides with perigee.
In fact, the moon is branded "supermoon" only if it comes within 3.6 lakh km (2.2 lakh miles) from the centre of the earth.
Saturday's lunar spectacle will be discussed extensively through a special show on Slooh with Paul Cox as the anchor. The website has said that several topics, like "What makes a supermoon, and what (if anything) is super about it", "Where the name supermoon comes from", "The difference between a supermoon and a megamoon" etc will be discussed on the show.
The "supermoon" 2015 will be live streamed online on Slooh through one of its robotic telescopes and the telecast will kick off at 9.30pm ET (Saturday) / 2.30am BST (Sunday) / 7.00am IST (Sunday), while the full moon begins at 1.35pm ET (Friday) / 6.35pm BST (Saturday) / 11.05pm IST (Saturday). However, one may require to sign up on the website to view the lunar event.
Gemma Lavender of the Royal Astronomical Society told Express that "supermoon" is an exciting event for lunar observers.
"With the moon being closer to us than usual, and provided you have a clear night, observers should take advantage of the moon's stunning lunar seas along with its beautiful craters and mountains, which can be observed with a binocular or a telescope. If you don't own either of these, then the supermoon will still serve as a stunning sight to the naked eye," said Lavender.
Lavender rubbished claims that the "supermoon" might trigger earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tidal floods. "There are claims that, with the moon getting closer to the earth, that there is an increased risk of events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions - this is false," she told Express.
(Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)
