What is a Supermoon?
In this article, we are going to learn about what is a supermoon and everything you may need to know about it. This is a full moon which is 10- 12% closer to the earth at perigee. Many people also confuse the perigee-syzygy with other moons because there are quite a few different types that it can sometimes be difficult to remember all, for example, blue blood supermoons are also confused along with various other ones.
What is Perigee?
The point in the moon's orbit where it is closest to the earth is called perigee. The time when the moon is closer to earth at perigee instead of apogee, which means the point in the orbit of the moon at which it is furthest to the earth, is also called perigee-syzygy. There are also different types of moons named according to the moon, for example, pink moon supermoon, etc.
What Happens When There is a Perigee-syzygy?
The tides we see when we go near the sea and ocean are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon. As the moon orbits the earth, the gravitational force pulls on the oceans. So, when the moon comes closer to the earth, it causes a king tide. It increases the rise and fall of the sea levels thus increasing the dangers of floods.
Also, there could be a minute increase in the activity of the tectonic plates which can lead to natural disasters like earthquakes.
Many times, people confuse the supermoon blood moon.
The difference between both is:
Perigee-syzygy, as we already know, is when the moon comes closer to the earth.
A blood moon is given its name because of its colour which is a red glow. This happens when there is a lunar eclipse when the earth comes between the moon and sun thus hiding the moon from sunlight. Because of this, only light from the earth can reach the moon and the air molecules from earth scatter the blue light and so the remaining light is what makes it glow red.
There is a great difference between a supermoon blood moon but many people are still confused between the two.
Different Supermoons Throughout the Year
Before knowing about when is the next supermoon, we will look at the different super moons there are. Different cultures around the world have given the full moons different names. Many of these names have come from native America and medieval Europe. The names that came from native America were decided based on their way of life.
In this, we will look at the November moon, and much more. The moon names differed from culture to culture but most of them were assigned 12 – 13 moons in the year. The names given to the supermoons in each month are:
January: The moon in this month was named after the wolves that howled due to the shortage of food during winters
March: In this month, the moon is called a worm moon.
February: The moon in this month is called Snow.
April: The moon of this month is called the pink moon. The pink moon supermoon was named after the wildflower that began blooming during this month
June: The June moon is called the strawberry moon.
May: In this month, the moon is called the flower moon because during this month, it is springtime and many flowers are blooming.
July: This is called Buck Moon.
August: This moon is called the sturgeon moon by the North American fishing tribes because this species appeared this month. On the 22nd day of this month in 2021, many people around the world saw the blue blood supermoon. It is said to be the third of 4 full moons.
September: This moon is called the full corn.
October: The moon in this month is called hunter’s moon.
November: The November supermoon was called beaver moon as Americans kept beaver traps in this month.
December: In this month, the moon is called a cold moon because of the winters.
Conclusion
When we talk about this, the first question people ask is when is the next supermoon? In 2021, there were two, one in April and the other in May. In 2022, it has been predicted that there will also be 2. One will be a strawberry moon and the other will be a buck moon.
In this article, we have learned a lot. From knowing how cultures have named this special moon to knowing what a supermoon is, we have covered it all. You should always remember that it occurs when the moon is closest to the Earth, its perigee.
Knowing that a blood moon and a perigee-syzygy are not the same and are very distinct and poles apart are very important. Many people confuse these and it can’t be blamed on them for confusing the supermoon blood moon.
FAQs on Supermoon
1. What is the difference between a supermoon and a lunar eclipse?
There are many differences between a perigee-syzygy and a lunar eclipse. These differences are:
A supermoon is a full moon that is 10- 12% closer to the earth at perigee. The time when the moon is closer to earth at perigee, which means the point at which the orbit of the moon is closest to the earth.
A lunar eclipse is when the moon is partly or completely hidden in the shadow of the earth. This occurs when there is a full moon. The major difference between the supermoon lunar eclipse is that the lunar eclipse occurs when there is a super moon.
Now we know the difference between both of these, it will be easier for you to remember and never make a mistake between both of these.
2. What is the difference between blue blood and perigee-syzygy?
There are quite a few differences between the blue blood supermoons. Blue blood or blood moon happens when the moon turns into a red colour. On the other hand, a lunar eclipse is when the moon is covered by the shadow of the earth and only a small amount of light from earth reaches the surface of the moon making it look red. People across the world have different views of this. Throughout the article, we looked at what a perigee-syzygy is and what are its features. In simple terms, this is when the moon is orbiting and it ends up being close to the earth. This is the major difference between blue blood supermoons.
