There is something to look forward to, and look out at from your home, on April 8. The biggest and brightest moon of this year is set to appear in the skies above you in a couple of days’ time. Incidentally, this isn’t the first super moon of the year, because there has been one in February and one in March but compared to what is in store this time around, those could just be the trailers to the main act. In India, we should expect to see the Super Pink Moon around 8am on April 8—and its visible starting April 7 nighttime in North America and some other regions. You can find the exact moonrise and moonset times for your region here (https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/india/new-delhi)
But what exactly is a super moon? This is a reference to the instances when the full moon orbits close to earth while appearing larger and brighter than it usually does. The Super Pink Moon on the night of April 7 and morning of April 8 is expected to be just around 356,000 km from the Earth. At most times, the distance between the Earth and the moon is around 384,000 km. In fact, the super moon is around as much as 14% larger and 30% brighter than the full moon when it is further away from Earth, that’s according to the data shared by the Adler Planetarium. "Astronomers refer to supermoons as a perigean Full Moon. In the past 20 years, there have been 79 supermoons which averages out to one supermoon every three months. Supermoons tend to cluster so it is not unusual for one supermoon to be preceded by another," says the Adler Planetarium.
But why does a super moon scenario occur? Basically, the moon’s orbit happens in an oval shape around Earth. Since it isn’t a circle, there will always be a closest point and a farthest point. A super moon is when the moon is at the closest point to Earth because of the orbit shape. There is another term, micro moon, which refers to when the moon is at its furthest distance in the Orbit, in relation to the Earth.
Remember, there is enough research to suggest that super moons do not cause any mood swings or behavior disorders—do not think that’s an excuse for going bonkers all of a sudden. This year, the January super moon was called Wolf Moon, the February one was called Snow Moon and the March one was referred to as the Worm Moon. There are more expected through the year. In April, it'll be called the Pink Moon. The May one is called Flower Moon, the June super moon is Strawberry Moon while the July sighting is called Buck Moon. The August super moon is called Sturgeon Moon, the September one is Corn Moon, while October gets the super moon Hunter’s Moon. We close the year with November's Beaver Moon and December's super moon called Cold Moon. Luckily, no Blood Moon this year. That would be a relief to many.
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