The Sturgeon Moon sighted at Woodlands Avenue 5 on Aug 1, 2023. (Photo: A Kannan)
The Sturgeon Moon sighted at Woodlands Avenue 5 on Aug 1, 2023. (Photo: A Kannan)
SINGAPORE: The Sturgeon Moon, the first of two supermoons in August, was seen over Singapore on Tuesday (Aug 1) night.
Supermoons are a phenomenon that occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth, making the moon appear larger and brighter than usual, according to the Science Centre Observatory.
The observatory added that the Sturgeon Moon is the "second closest supermoon to our planet this year, after the Blue Moon" - which will rise at the end of the month on Aug 31.
The Sturgeon Moon will reach its highest point in the sky at 1am on Wednesday, said the observatory.
CNA reader A Kannan captured photos of the supermoon from Woodlands.
"The first of two full supermoons in the month of August 2023 dazzled the skies tonight," he said, adding that the Sturgeon Moon had risen at about 7.10pm.
"The moon was about 357,800km away from Earth when this picture was taken from Woodlands this evening at about 8pm."
Mr Kannan added that the skies were initially cloudy and he had to wait for more than 30 minutes for the moon to be visible.
Missed out on this supermoon? Astronomy fans will have another chance to catch another supermoon at the end of the month.
The Blue Moon, expected to be the brightest and closest supermoon to the Earth this year, will rise on Aug 31, at 7.34pm from the east.
Stargazers can also expect to see the Perseid meteor shower on Aug 12 and Aug 13 when it peaks from 4am.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Persied is "considered the best meteor shower of the year".