Muscat: The second of the two supermoons to appear in August will be visible in Oman on Thursday.
According to the Omani Astronomical Society (Falak Oman), this one will be the largest and brightest supermoon (blue moon) of 2023 and special arrangements have been made for observation of the moon and the planet Saturn in Al Araimi Boulevard on Thursday, August 31 between 7 pm and 10 pm.
To term blue moon indicates that there have been two full or supermoons in one month.
Those with binoculars or a telescope could get an even more detailed view of the moon's surface, and photographers can take advantage of the occasion.
The blue moon will be closer to Earth at around 357,530km and it can be 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than when the moon is further away from Earth.
Speaking to the Observer on the occasion of the first supermoon on August 1, Mahmoud al Amiri, a member of the Omani Astronomical Society, said, "The phenomenon of the full moon occurs when the moon is full and is located near the closest point in its orbit around the Earth, as the moon revolves around the Earth in an elliptical orbit, and accordingly the distance between the moon and the earth changes during the month and once again at the farthest point in its orbit, and for this reason, the size and brightness of the moon vary in one month according to its location from these two points."
The last time there were two full supermoons in the same month was in 2018 and it won't happen again until 2037.
The next blue Supermoon will be on May 31, 2026.
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