VNExpress | People in Vietnam will be able to observe two "supermoons" this month, one on Aug. 1-2 and the other on Aug. 31.
Dang Vu Tuan Son, head of the Vietnam Astronomy and Cosmology Association, said the "supermoons" will appear bigger and brighter due to their closer proximity to the Earth than usual.
The first instance of "supermoon" will happen in the night of August 1 and early morning of August 2, when the Moon will be only 357,344 km away from the Earth. The usual distance is around 384,400 km.
The second "supermoon" will happen on August 31, when the Moon will be about 357,344 km away from the Earth.
Son said that as the Moon's orbit around the Earth takes an elliptical shape, there are times when it gets closer to the Earth than others.
"On nights like that, we will see the full moon getting a bit bigger and brighter, about 15% more than usual," said Son.
In Vietnam, the phenomenon can be seen with the naked eye.
This year, "supermoons" happen four times in July, August and September.
The last "super moon" of 2023 will be on September 28, when the moon will be around 361,552 km away from the Earth. There will be only two "supermoons" next year, one on September 18 and the other on October 18.
Source: VNExpress, headline by Santosh, photo from internet
Comments