Brightest, closest supermoon of 2023 lights up Singapore sky
The supermoon lit up the sky on Aug 31, 2023. (Photo: A Kannan)
SINGAPORE: The Blue Moon, the second supermoon in August, was seen over Singapore on Thursday night (Aug 31).
This marks the end of a month filled with treats for stargazers, with the Sturgeon Moon appearing on Aug 1 and the Perseid meteor shower occurring on Aug 12 and Aug 13.
CNA reader A Kannan captured photos of the supermoon from Woodlands. Mr Kannan said the moon was "very bright" and was visible at 8.10pm from Woodlands.
"The moon emerged from the dense clouds about 30 minutes after its rise from the north east at about 8.10 pm."
Mr Kannan took the photos from the 10th floor of a Housing Board building along Woodlands Avenue 5 on Thursday evening.
Mr Kannan said the moon was about 357,841km away from Earth when the photos were taken. It was also already at its waning gibbous phase at about "99.7 per cent full", he added
The photos were taken from the top floor of the HDB building, said Mr Kannan, adding that the supermoon on Thursday night was a "visual treat".
Mr Kannan also recommended viewing the moonset, which will happen at 7.57am, according to the timeanddate website for moonset in Singapore.
The Science Centre Observatory earlier said that the Blue Moon is expected to be the brightest and closest supermoon to Earth this year.
Supermoons are a phenomenon that occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth, making the moon appear larger and brighter than usual.
The observatory said that the Blue Moon will begin rising at 7.34pm from the east.
While there have been sightings of the supermoon over the last few days, the observatory said that the optimal viewing window of the moon in Singapore would be from 9pm on Thursday.
The moon will reach its highest point at 12.51am on Friday and set at 7.03am.
"Like most full moons, it will be easily visible anywhere in Singapore as long as the skies are clear and offer an unobstructed view," said the observatory.
For a better and "potentially elevated" view of the supermoon with panoramic views of the city skyline, it recommends open areas such as Marina Barrage, East Coast Park and Southern Ridges.
Another supermoon - the last of four in 2023 - is expected in late September.
The last Blue Moon was seen in 2020. Unlike its name, it is not blue in colour.
The moniker came about due to the Blue Moon being the second full moon in a calendar month - a rare sighting that happens every two to three years.
However, there are instances where the moon has appeared to be blue, due to water droplets in the air, certain types of clouds or particles thrown into the atmosphere by natural catastrophes such as volcanic ash and smoke.
This was seen during the 1883 volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia. Back then, ash particles in the air scattered red light and acted as a blue filter, resulting in the moon taking on a blue appearance.
