The Supermoon Phenomenon in Indonesia: Everything You Need to Know

KOMPAS.com – The supermoon phenomenon will occur on Monday (3/7/2023) which will make the night sky brighter than usual.

This was confirmed by astronomy and astrophysics researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) Clara Yono Yatini.

“On July 3, 2023 there will be a supermoon phenomenon, all of Indonesia can observe,” said Clara to Kompas.com, Monday (2/7/2023).

“It can be seen directly without tools,” he continued.

Also read: Get to know the Moon from the Planets in the Solar System

Get to know supermoons

Clara said, supermoon is a phenomenon when the full moon is at the closest distance to Earth.

“This happens because the moon’s trajectory around (Earth) is not perfectly round, rather elliptical (oval),” he said.

When a supermoon occurs, the full moon appears to be bigger, closer, and brighter.

“A full moon occurs when the moon is directly opposite the sun, Earth between them,” he explained.

He explained that the phenomenon made the entire surface of the moon facing the Earth reflect the sun’s rays.

“For 2023, the supermoon will occur on July 3, August 1, August 31 and September 29,” he explained.

According to him, the supermoon will not have a harmful effect on the Earth, including Indonesia.

“But there may be a change in the sea tide,” he said.

Also read: Astronomers Find a Quasi-Moon False Moon in Earth Orbit, What Is It?

Origins of the term supermoon

Quoted from Spacethe term “supermoon” does not come from astronomy, but from the pseudoscientific field of astrology.

It studies the movement of celestial bodies to make predictions about human behavior and events.

The term was first mentioned in a 1979 article for Dell Horoscope magazine by Richard Nolle.

Nolle defines a supermoon as a new moon or full moon that occurs with the moon closest to Earth in a certain orbit.

However, in recent years, the term supermoon has received more attention from the people of Earth. Started around 2004.

What causes the moon’s orbit to be elliptical

The moon is known to have an average distance of 238 thousand miles or 382,900 km from Earth.

However, the moon’s apogee (farthest position) and perigee (closest position) vary due to its elliptical orbit.

“The main reason why the moon’s orbit is not a perfect circle (ellipse) is because there are a lot of tidal forces or gravity pulling on the moon,” said NASA scientist Noah Petro.

He added that the gravity of the Earth, the sun and other planets has an effect on the moon’s orbit.

“You have all these different gravitational forces pulling and pushing on the moon, which gives us the opportunity to get past this close,” he said.

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Factors in the occurrence of supermoons

There are two factors that support the occurrence of the supermoon phenomenon, namely the perigee and the full moon phase.

The perigee of the moon every 27 days and the full moon every 29.5 days when the sun illuminates the moon completely.

It is estimated that the moon will appear 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than usual. However, it is very difficult to see the difference with the naked eye.

“It’s not enough to notice (the difference) unless you are a very careful moon watcher,” said Petro.

Also known as “buck moon”

The supermoon that occurred on Monday (3/7/2023) can also be called a “buck moon” as this phenomenon occurs on different dates.

Buck Moon is the closest compared to other supermoons this year. Its distance from Earth, which is 224.895 miles or 361.934 km.

Reported from Fox59the term buck moon given comes from the Maine Farmer’s Almanac published in the 1930s.

It is explained, the Algonquin tribe that lives on the North American continent calls the full moon in July the “buck moon” because it corresponds to the time when young deer begin to show horns.

Also read: Many questions about the Star above the Crescent are said to appear once every 100 years, this is BRIN’s explanation

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2023-07-02 11:30:00
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