Al Ain: People will be able to see the supermoon, the fullest and brightest moon of this year, as it will be pass by the closest point to the Earth on the elliptical orbit on Sunday.
The supermoon will be around seven per cent bigger than the average full moon and 14 per cent bigger than the smallest full moon of the year, said Adil Hassan, an astronomer in Al Ain. The moon is on average 382,900km away from Earth, but when it comes close to earth astronomers call it the supermoon, he said.
“It will be bigger and brighter and present an excellent opportunity for normal photography and astrophotography,” said the astronomer, noting that shutterbugs need to use special filters to offset the brightness of the moon. The supermoon will be Sunday at 15:33 hours (Dubai local time) and will become progressively more visible with the fall of evening, he said.
Hassan said the moon will also generate large tides in the sea, probably the largest of this year. “This is a natural phenomenon… a closer moon exerts stronger gravitational pull that affects the tides,” he added.
He said people should enjoy the supermoon instead of getting involved in the technicalities. He, however, warned people to be careful on beaches due to a possibility of water surge.
