Since its first appearance on August 1st, the fourth and final supermoon we’ll see this year has beautifully illuminated our skies with its warm glow. If you were lucky, you would have been able to look up into the nightly atmosphere and witness this phenomena that only happens when a full moon is also at its closest orbit to the Earth. But why is this particular moon so special?

 

For the most part, it's because it holds cultural significance to many people around the world. What we saw near the end of September was known as the Harvest moon and has been celebrated for a long time with some of the biggest celebrants of the Harvest moon Festival being centred around Asia.  Farmers have historically been able to work longer hours into the night due to the brighter light and for several Asian countries the full moon marks the beginning of Mid-autumn festivals as it is believed to be the brightest of the year. This is usually celebrated  with varying customs associated with family get-togethers, the consumption of ceremonial foods, and the decorating of colourful lanterns.It usually lands on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, falling between mid-September or early October. 

This Harvest moon is particularly significant from a scientific standpoint because it is the fourth successful supermoon of the year. The moon's orbit is always wobbling and it differs depending on where the sun and Earth are in their orbit so we can never have supermoons with the exact same distance. (Some supermoons may even wind up closer or farther than others.) According to the official Nasa website, ‘Supermoon’ is what is typically used to describe a full moon that comes within at least 90 percent of perigee. Since the start of the 21st century we have only been able to see 28 supermoons as a whole and this year makes it the 5th time in a row where we see 3-4 successful moons. This means actually getting the experience to witness it makes this a rare occurrence!