The skies of Saudi Arabia and the Arab world witnessed the first appearance of a supermoon (Photo:SPA)
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab world witnessed the first appearance of a supermoon, also known as the “buck moon” on Monday, August 19.
The term “supermoon” refers to the third of the four full moons between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox in the current season. The celestial event occurs when the full moon is at its closest distance to Earth, making it appear larger and brighter than usual.
Head of the astronomical society in Jeddah Engineer Majid Abu Zahra explained the giant full moon, also known as the “seasonal blue moon,” is a rare phenomenon that occurs once several years. The term “seasonal blue” refers to its infrequent appearance, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA)
“Usually each season has three full moons, but some seasons may see four full moons. The supermoon in this season is called the “seasonal blue moon”. It occurs at a rate of once every two and a half years, so the next one will be on May 20, 2026,” he said.
This post was last modified on August 20, 2024 4:51 pm