New Delhi:
Have you missed the Full Moon of December 3? Fret not as the supermoon will mesmerise you, not just once but twice in January 2018, according to NASA.
The 1st supermoon which occurred on Sunday was part of a trilogy of supermoons and it will reappear on January 1 and January 31 next year, NASA said.
What is a supermoon?
When a Full Moon reaches its closest point to Earth on its orbit, it is called Supermoon. Because the orbit of the Mon is elliptical, one side known as apogee is about 50,000 km away from the Earth than the other called perigee.
The nearby perigee Full Moons appear about 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than Full Moons that take place near the apogee in the Moon's orbit.
"The supermoons are a great opportunity for people to start looking at the Moon, not just that once but every chance they have!" said Noah Petro, a research scientist from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre.
December's Full Moon
Traditionally called "cold moon", the December’s Full Moon that occurred on Sunday was the first and only supermoon of 2017.
On January 31, the supermoon will feature a total lunar eclipse, and the totality will be viewable from western North America across the pacific to Eastern Asia.
Losing its brightness, the Moon will take on a fainter-than-normal glow from the scant sunlight, that will give it a reddish hue. This is why the totally eclipsed Moons are called "blood Moons".
Second Full Moon, the January 31 supermoon is often referred to as the “Blue Moon”. On average, it occurs every two and a half years. NASA says with the total eclipse, it will be a royal spectacle indeed, a "super blue blood" Moon.
The station transits the Moon at roughly five miles per second, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, in Manchester Township, York County, Pennsylvania. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky pic.twitter.com/hBdFnNsUYB
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) December 3, 2017
Have you stepped outside to see tonight’s supermoon? Here, the Moon is seen as it rose this evening in Washington, DC. Today’s full Moon is the first of three consecutive supermoons. Details: https://t.co/GccSiA5Jbb pic.twitter.com/tUPcat13T1
— NASA (@NASA) December 4, 2017
An aircraft passes in front of the Moon, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017 in Washington. Today's full Moon is the first of three consecutive supermoons. #supermoon2017 https://t.co/IYFIJS2n6z pic.twitter.com/uzXZAsjYEf
— NASA HQ PHOTO (@nasahqphoto) December 4, 2017
The #supermoon rising over Mongolia. Good night from @Space_Station. pic.twitter.com/9OuWQaA4dL
— Randy Bresnik (@AstroKomrade) December 3, 2017
