This year’s full moon will coincide with the largest supermoon of the year and the first total lunar eclipse since January 2019.
Skygazers in United kingdom The moon will be treated on Wednesday evening as Earth’s natural satellite appears larger and brighter.
The celestial event is expected to be visible at dawn, when the moon is closest to Earth, although full illumination will not come until later in the day.
According to Patricia Skelton, an astronomer at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, the best time to view the giant moon in Britain is in the early morning hours of May 26 or later in the evening of the same day – after sunset.
She said, “The gigantic moon appears when the moon is full at the same time that the moon reaches its closest point on Earth – a point called perigee.
Perihelion occurs at 2:51 a.m. on May 26, and a full moon occurs at 12:14 p.m. on the same day.
“The giant moon will rise in the east about half an hour after sunset and will be visible all night.”
During this time, Earth’s natural satellite will appear approximately 14% larger and 30% brighter.
“To get the best views of the giant moon, wait for the moon to rise in the sky,” Ms. Skelton said.
Skelton said the event also coincided with a lunar eclipse that will turn the moon red, but it will not be visible in the UK.
She added: “People who see a giant moon from the western United States, western South America, Australia or Southeast Asia will see the giant moon turn to scarlet red when a lunar eclipse occurs on the same day.”
“This change in color is not due to a physical change on the moon, but simply because the moon will drift into the shadow of the earth.
“The Earth’s atmosphere is illuminated by the sun’s rays and floods the moon in scarlet-red light.
“Although star-watchers in the United Kingdom will not be able to see a lunar eclipse, the giant moon is still worth seeing.”
The full moon in April is called the “flower moon” because it appears when the flowers bloom.
