Supermoons in August

A supermoon occurs when the moon is closest to the Earth and is in its full moon phase. When these two events coincide, it is called a supermoon. During a supermoon, the moon appears 14 to 30 percent larger in the sky. The moon follows an elliptical orbit. This means that at certain points in the orbit, the moon can be either the closest or farthest from the Earth. The point in the moon’s orbit where it is closest to the Earth is called Perigee. Perigee-syzygy is the technical term for supermoon. The point in the orbit at which the moon is farthest from the Earth is called apogee.

August is a special month for stargazers because there will be two supermoons to be seen this month. The first supermoon will be visible on August 1, 2023. On this occasion, the distance between the moon and the Earth will be only 357,530 kilometres. The moon will be at its peak at 12:02 AM on August 2. The supermoon can be viewed using binoculars or telescopes. On August 31, the second supermoon will occur. It will peak at 7:05 AM, suggesting that it may not be visible from India. 

The last time we witnessed two supermoons in August, was in 2018. In 2037, we can see a similar event happening. The supermoon on August 1 is the second supermoon of the year. The first occurred on July 3. The last supermoon of 2023 will occur on September 29.