Highlights
- The first supermoon of 2021 to be seen in April
- The supermoon of this year is also known as the Pink Moon
- A supermoon is not a common sight to be seen in the night sky.
The first supermoon of 2021 was initially witnessed by the people on the late night of last Monday. People have already started to share the images of the Pink Moon among themselves. The phenomenon is also known as the Pink Moon because of the beautiful tinge of color seen on the moon today.
The moon of April is also called the Pink Moon as it follows the name of a flower which blooms in early spring. Perennial wildflowers are usually blooming in spring and this names up the moon of April. Sometimes the Full Moon is also called the sprouting grass moon or the Fish Moon.
The first supermoon of 2021 has some great religious significance. For example, the Hindus celebrate this day as Hanuman Jayanti. It is according to the Hindi Lunar Calendar in the month of Chaitra.
What Is The First Supermoon of 2021?
The term super moon is related to astronomy. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA defines the super moon as the time when the full moon is very close to the orbit of the earth. Being in the phase of the supermoon, the size of the moon seems to be bigger than usual. The changes might be indistinguishable to naked eyes, but the moon appears a bit brighter as well.
When Is The Next Full Moon?
NASA has announced that the next full moon will be witnessed on 26th May 2021. That will be known as the Flower Moon according to the older traditions. The full moon of May will be closer to Earth on the moon perigee by at least 98 miles. Again, the difference might not be visible to the naked eyes. It can be the next after the first supermoon of 2021.
How Does A Super Moon Occur?
The moon does not move around the sun in a perfect circle. The average distance is 238,000 miles (382,900 km) from Earth. However, the apogee and perigee, the closest and farthest approach from the Earth, can change every month. The supermoon might seem as usual to you, but in reality, it is very close to the horizon.
A Spectacular Phenomenon
How the celestial bodies move and make their positions visible to regular people is quite fascinating to watch. It shows that our planetary movements have their norms of physics, and are ruled by special dynamics. If we get to see these events, we must not miss them at any cost, as some of these events might not happen again shortly.