Supermoon treat for sky gazers

Agencies

New Delhi, 19 March 2011: An exceptional celestial treat is in store for sky gazers as ’supermoon’, the biggest and brightest full moon of the year which will be closest to Earth in 18 years, will be seen in the night sky on Saturday.

 

Tonight, instead of being glued to your TV sets, take some time out to look at the sky. A rare celestial spectacle will unfold today as the moon will be at its closest point to the earth. This rare phenomenon known as ‘Supermoon’ last occurred 18 years back.

 

According to astronomers, on Saturday, the moon will be 3,56,577 kms away from the earth as compared to 3,64,000km. Professor TS Shukre, director, Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium said the moon will be 14 percent bigger and 28 percent brighter compared to normal days.

 

Professor Shukre also dismissed talk of the Supermoon phenomenon triggering any natural disaster as speculated by some. “There is nothing significant in the moon getting closer to the earth as it happens once every 28 days. The only difference on Saturday is that such an incident is occurring on a full moon day, which is quite rare,” he said. Many astronomers have speculated that the Supermoon would set off natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis.

 

A few have also cited the example of the January 10, 2005, Supermoon, when the moon was about 15 km closer to earth.

 

Many said the moon’s then proximity was the cause of the December 24, 2004 undersea earthquake (a fortnight before the Supermoon of January 2005) leading to the Asian tsunami which devastated countries on the rims of Indian and Pacific oceans, killing about two lakh people.

 

Astronomers have also said the Japan’s March 11 earthquake and tsunami was influenced by the Supermoon which will occur on Saturday.

 

This speculation, however, has been rejected.