Vietnam welcomes the nearest 'supermoon'

On the morning of August 11, Vietnam will have the opportunity to admire two consecutive astronomical events: a full moon and a moon reaching its perigee; this phenomenon is called the closest supermoon.

Early morning of August 11, the moment between the full moon and the moon reaching its perigee position is almost the same, the moon will reach its closest position to Earth in 2014 compared to other full moons. Illustration: AP.

Mr. Dang Tuan Duy, Ho Chi Minh City Amateur Astronomy Club (HAAC) said that the full moon will take place at 1:09 am Hanoi time. About 20 minutes before that, there will be another phenomenon at 0:44 am, the Moon will reach its perigee position in its orbit around the Earth, and this is the closest position in 2014 at a distance of 356,896 km. According to astronomers, the Moon will not come close to the Earth at a similar distance until September 28, 2015.

"This can be considered the closest and brightest full moon in 2014; also known as the closest supermoon in 2014," said Mr. Duy.

According to Mr. Duy, previous full moons were also called supermoons, but the distance was larger and the time between the perigee and the full moon was also quite different, not at the same time as on August 11.

During a supermoon, the moon will appear 12-14% larger and 30% brighter than usual. However, this difference is difficult to clearly perceive with the naked eye.

According to Vnexpress