Shutterstock
A Supermoon is not merely a larger or brighter-looking Moon; rather, it is the result of the confluence of the Moon's elliptical orbit around the Earth and a Full Moon.
1. Orbital Geometry
The path the Moon travels around the Earth is not a perfect circle but an ellipse. Due to this elliptical orbit, the distance between the Moon and the Earth constantly changes.
Getty Images
· Perigee (પેરીજી): At this point, the Moon is closest to the Earth, averaging about 363,300 kilometers away.
· Apogee (એપોજી): At this point, the Moon is farthest from the Earth, averaging about 405,500 kilometers away.
A Supermoon occurs when a Full Moon (when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are nearly in a straight line) and the Moon being at its Perigee point happen almost simultaneously. In astronomy, this alignment is also known as Perigee-syzygy.
2. Supermoon Effect and Visibility
During a Supermoon, the Moon appears approximately 14% larger and 30% brighter than a normal Full Moon. However, this difference is somewhat challenging to notice with the naked eye unless you compare it to a Full Moon viewed at Apogee (the farthest point), which is sometimes called a Micromoon.
· Moon Illusion: Often, when a Supermoon is near the horizon, it appears even larger. This is not specific to the Supermoon but is an 'optical illusion' of all Full Moons, known as the Moon Illusion. It's created when our brain compares the Moon to familiar objects on the Earth.
3. Effect on Tides
The Moon's gravitational pull generates tides in the Earth's oceans. When the Moon is closest to the Earth (Supermoon), this gravitational force is at its maximum.
· As a result, the high tides around the time of a Supermoon are slightly higher than average (usually a few inches), a phenomenon called Perigean Spring Tides. However, this typically does not cause any major destructive changes.
4. Different Types of Supermoons
Based on the positioning of the Moon and Earth, other types of Supermoons are also observed:
· Super Blood Moon (સુપર બ્લડ મૂન): Occurs when a total lunar eclipse coincides with a Super moon. During this time, the Moon appears red or orange because sunlight passes through the Earth's atmosphere to reach the Moon.
Shutterstock
· Super Blue Moon (સુપર બ્લૂ મૂન): Occurs when the second Full Moon in a single calendar month is also a Super moon. The term 'Blue Moon' refers to its frequency rather than the color of the Moon.
The Super moon is a regular, yet magnificent, spectacle in our sky, allowing us to experience the beauty of astronomical movements.
