1st Supermoon of 2024 to grace Indian skies on Monday evening

New Delhi: Stargazers in India are set to witness a celestial treat, as a full, blue supermoon will grace the sky on Monday, according to NASA.

NASA said that the Moon will appear full from Sunday morning through early Wednesday morning, with its peak occurring on Tuesday morning for those eastward from Nepal across Asia, including India and Australia.

The celestial event, one of four consecutive supermoons this year, will be visible in India during the night of August 19 and into the early morning of August 20.

The term “supermoon”, coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979, refers to a new or full Moon that occurs when the Moon is within 90 per cent of its closest approach to Earth. Full supermoons are notable for being the biggest and brightest full Moons of the year.

This full Moon is also a Blue Moon, as it is the third full Moon in a season with four full Moons. Although it won’t appear blue, the term “Blue Moon” dates back to 1528 and has various speculated origins, including an old English phrase meaning “betrayer Moon” or a reference to rare atmospheric conditions that make the Moon appear blue.

The August full Moon is traditionally known as the Sturgeon Moon by the Algonquin tribes, named after the large fish easily caught this time of year. Other names for this Moon include the Red Moon, Corn Moon, Barley Moon, and Herb Moon.

For science fiction fans, this Sturgeon Moon is a nod to author Theodore Sturgeon, known for his contributions to Star Trek.

The next supermoon in 2024 will occur on September 17 and is also known as the Harvest Moon.

It will also be partially eclipsed by Earth during the night as a portion of it passes into Earth’s shadow.

The third full moon of the year will occur on October 17. Known as Hunter’s Moon, it will also be the closest full moon of the year. The last supermoon of the year will occur on November 15.