
The moon would appear bigger today due to a phenomenon known as the supermoon. The event, christened Super Pink Moon, is the largest supermoon of 2020 and would be visible from the evening of April 7 till sunrise on April 8.
This would be the biggest and the brightest moon of 2020. This happens due to an optical illusion.
Also Read: Super Pink Moon 2020: How, when, where to watch in India
The scientific term of this phenomenon is called perigee-syzygy. Perigee is the point on the moon's orbit where it is closest to the Earth, which is at a distance of 356,907 kilometres from Earth. Syzygy means that Earth, Moon and the Sun are completely aligned.
So when the moon is in perigee-syzygy, it appears larger and brighter. But perigee-syzygy was replaced by the term supermoon to make it popular.
The term Pink Moon comes from the pink flowers that bloom in eastern North America during the April full moon. The moon does not turn pink at all.
In India, the moon will next be best visible in full effect around 8 AM tomorrow during moonset, but it will be visible throughout the night.
Since several countries, including India, are under lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, it provides with a great opportunity to spend some quality time together with your family and study the moon.
As the skies have cleared up due to a lack of pollution due to the lockdown and the moon appears larger than usual, the surface is quite visible, which gives a great opportunity to learn the name of the craters.
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