Supermoon set to shine
Source: Xinhua |
May 4, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A "SUPERMOON" will appear in the sky on Sunday, when the natural satellite will be at its biggest and brightest this year.
"If the weather is good, the Chinese public can enjoy seeing a much bigger and brighter moon than usual," Zhao Zhiheng, a member of the Tianjin Astronomy Society, said yesterday.
The moon's distance from Earth varies between approximately 350,000 and 400,000 kilometers due to its oval orbit, meaning it appears to be various sizes when seen from our planet.
At 11:35am on Sunday, the moon will be the brightest of this year as it will "directly face" the sun and reflect all sunlight to the Earth; at noon, the moon will be the biggest of this year as it will arrive at its perigee, or the closest point to Earth in its orbit, Zhao said.
As it appears during the daytime, however, viewers in China may need a telescope or other astronomic viewing apparatus to observe the phenomenon.
The supermoon tends to bring high and low tides, but claims that it is linked to natural disasters such as earthquakes or volcanic eruptions have been denied by experts.
"The supermoon is neither mysterious nor strange. It is a normal celestial phenomenon and will not affect people's lives," Zhao said.
Last year's supermoon appeared on March 19, when it was the biggest and brightest in 18 years. Next year's supermoon will shine on June 23.
"If the weather is good, the Chinese public can enjoy seeing a much bigger and brighter moon than usual," Zhao Zhiheng, a member of the Tianjin Astronomy Society, said yesterday.
The moon's distance from Earth varies between approximately 350,000 and 400,000 kilometers due to its oval orbit, meaning it appears to be various sizes when seen from our planet.
At 11:35am on Sunday, the moon will be the brightest of this year as it will "directly face" the sun and reflect all sunlight to the Earth; at noon, the moon will be the biggest of this year as it will arrive at its perigee, or the closest point to Earth in its orbit, Zhao said.
As it appears during the daytime, however, viewers in China may need a telescope or other astronomic viewing apparatus to observe the phenomenon.
The supermoon tends to bring high and low tides, but claims that it is linked to natural disasters such as earthquakes or volcanic eruptions have been denied by experts.
"The supermoon is neither mysterious nor strange. It is a normal celestial phenomenon and will not affect people's lives," Zhao said.
Last year's supermoon appeared on March 19, when it was the biggest and brightest in 18 years. Next year's supermoon will shine on June 23.
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