The moon’s a benign presence in all our lives, a sweet and lovable character in many lullabies and fairy tales. Monday, November 14th, 2016, the real moon was that little bit extra special too. It was the biggest and brightest than many of us have ever seen, or will until 2034.
The phenomenon is called Supermoon and happens because the moon’s orbit around sun is slightly elliptical, thus sometimes the moon is nearer the Earth than others. When the moon is full and makes its closest path to the Earth, it’s called a SUPERMOON. Supermoon is, however, not the official astronomical term. It was coined by an astrologer, Richard Nolle, in 1979. He defined it as ‘a New or a Full Moon that occurs when the Moon is at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth in its orbit’. It’s not clear why he chose that 90% cut off in his definition.
There are officially no rules as to how close or far the Moon should be to qualify as Supermoon or Micro Moon. Different stations use different definitions. Because of this, a Full Moon classified as Supermoon as per one source may not qualify as a Super Full Moon by another. This event is also supposedly called to be a harbinger of disaster as the Sun and Moon’s alignment causes a small increase in tectonic activity. The effect of the Supermoon on Earth are minor, though and scientific studies have not found anything that can link the Super Moon to natural disasters.
A Supermoon is 14% bigger and 30% brighter and thus it was quite a sight to behold. I am certain poets spouted poetry and the beaches were flooded with couples out on romantic walks last night.
