Harvest Supermoon to be observed in Vietnam
VOV.VN - Vietnamese astronomy lovers will be given the opportunity to witness the final Supermoon of 2023, also known as Harvest Moon, due to take place in Vietnam on September 29.
This is the fourth supermoon of the year and will mark the end of a summer that saw more than one supermoon, acccording to NASA.
Typically, a supermoon phenomenon occurs when the moon is at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, known as perigee. This happens due to the moon's orbit being an ellipse rather than a perfect circle, resulting in varying distances from the Earth at different times.
Fred Espanak, a retired NASA astrophysicist, said that by the time the moon's fully illuminated face is towards the Earth, it will be situated around 361,552 km away from the planet. The moon's average distance from the Earth normally stands at 382,900 km.
According to Time and Date website, in Ho Chi Minh City the supermoon will officially turn full at 4:57 p.m. on September 29.
Skygazers will also witness a “moon illusion” which makes the moon appear with a more yellow or orange hue.
Furthermore, they will also have the chance to admire a joined parade of three planets - Jupiter, Saturn and the smallest planet in the solar system Mercury - around the same time.
