VISAKHAPATNAM: While men and women stepped out to relax and take a glimpse of the ‘Supermooon’ from the RK Beach, the teenagers were busy in observing and clicking selfies from the terrace of the apartments to keep a record of the closest, biggest and brightest moon that appeared on Karthik Poornima (full moon day). The Supermoon that was closest full moon to the Earth since 1948 is said to be 14 per cent larger in diameter and 30 per cent brighter than the other full moons. ‘Perigee-syzygy’ was the scientific name given to the Supermoon.
Although the actual distance between the earth and the moon varies all through the year, the full moon on Monday was 356,508 km (50,000 km forward) from the Earth. According to the NASA finding, a similar Supermoon is expected to appear in 2034, when it will be even closer to the Earth, at 356,445 km.
In an effort to create awareness amongst children on space sciences, Planetary Society, India conducted a programme at RK Beach on Monday evening to observe the closest Supermoon and salute the moon remembering the Indian flag embossed on the Moon Impact Probe (MIB) that landed on the moon on November 14, 2008. Launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on October 22, 2008, Chandrayaan-I was India’s first mission to moon which included an impactor called MIP with Indian flag embossed on its sides.
As many as 100 children from 20 schools were eagerly waiting to get a clear picture of the Supermoon. N Raghunandan Kumar, the director and founder secretary of Planetary Society, stated, “The Supermoon was expected to be visible at 5.40 pm. However, it was clearly visible from 6.10 pm. The moon was playing hide and seek with the children and it took time to be visible in the horizon due to the clouds, trees and the high rise buildings”.
Aruna, an employee who visited the RK Beach to have a look at the celestial spectacle, said, “The moon was at its ‘biggest brightest best’ and I could also see the lighting of the Supermoon falling on the land”.