Rare super blue moon to be visible today, first of 4 remaining super moons of 2024 | Technology News
Attention sky gazers! A rare full moon, also known as a super blue moon, will be visible from across the Earth on August 19 and will remain visible for the next three days, according to NASA. Starting this Sunday, the full moon will be visible until Wednesday. The next three remaining super moons of 2024 will appear on September 17, known as the Harvest Moon, October 17, known as the Hunter’s Moon, and November 15’s full moon, known as the Beaver Moon.
Raksha Bandhan, also known as Rakhi Purnima, celebrated on the full moon day, is coinciding with the super blue moon this year, making it even more special for Indians.
A full moon or a third full moon in a season is called a super blue moon when it is within 90 per cent of its closest approach to the Earth, and this term was coined back in 1979 by Richard Nolle, a prominent astrologer.
Contrary to its name, a super blue moon will not look blue. However, on occasions, the moon has appeared blue due to a large amount of smoke in the sky.
Compared to a regular full moon, a supermoon will be up to 30 per cent brighter and up to 14 per cent larger. During this super blue moon, 98 per cent of the moon’s nearside will be illuminated by the Sun on Sunday, gradually increasing to 99 and 100 per cent in consecutive days. At the peak of the supermoon, it will be around 225,288 miles away from the Earth.
No special equipment is required to observe the blue moon, which can be witnessed with the naked eye and captured using a digital camera or smartphone with a dedicated moon mode.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
