RIYADH: The supermoon will be sighted on Monday in Saudi skies for the first time this year, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Majid Abu Zahra, head of the Astronomical Society in Jeddah, said that the event, also known by the scientific designation “perihelion moon,” will see the moon at its closest distance to Earth in orbit — 361,934 km — and in full view.
Abu Zahra added that the moon will reach the moment of completion at an angle of 180 degrees from the sun at 2:38 p.m. Makkah time.
The moon will rise from the southeastern horizon during sunset, but will be shrouded in an orange color as a result of atmospheric dust.
On the horizon, the moon will appear in its usual silvery white color, and it will continue to decorate the sky all night until it sets with the sunrise on Tuesday.
Abu Zahra said that the supermoon will be 5.8 percent larger in apparent size and 12.8 percent higher in illumination compared to the normal full moon, though the difference in illumination can be veiled by clouds and street lights.
