First Super Blue Moon of year, likely to be seen in Pakistan today

Karachi: The first super blue moon of this year 2024 will appear today (Monday).

According to the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the Super Blue Moon will appear in Pakistan at 11:26pm tonight. It will be visible all over the world including Pakistan.

SUPARCO stated that the next three supermoons will be visible in the sky on September 18, October 17 and November 15. The appearance of a full moon four times in a season is called a blue moon. Today’s Super Blue Moon is the third moon of the season. Blue moons are very rare phenomena that occur over a period of two to three years.

According to NASA, the next Super Blue Moon will not be visible until January 2037.

What is a Super Blue Moon?

A super blue moon is a combination of two separate astronomical phenomena. This unique phenomenon occurs when the lunar cycles of a supermoon and a blue moon occur on the same date, during which the moon is closest to Earth. The distance of the moon from the earth is only 2,26,000 miles.

During this time, the moon appears 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than an average full moon.