KARACHI: People who love watching the sky are in for a treat as they can witness supermoon in Pakistan today (Thursday), said Director of Institute of Space Science and Technology and astronomy expert Dr Jawed Iqbal.
Dr Iqbal said that the moon will appear 14% brighter and 7% bigger than normal.
“The moon appears relatively larger and brighter when the distance between the moon and earth decreases,” said the astronomy expert, adding that the distance will be about 226,000 miles.
The director of the space institute said that the average distance between the moon and the earth is 238,855 miles.
Professor Dr Iqbal said that this is the third full moon of this year and the stargazers who love watching the sky will be able to watch the super moon after sunset in Pakistan.
According to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), a supermoon occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest (perigee) to earth at the same time the moon is full.
Supermoons occur when a full moon reaches an orbit where it is the closest to the earth, making the moon appear up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than usual.
The supermoon will also showcase the bigger size than average moon on the following days.