Stargazers in Bahrain yesterday and early this morning witnessed a rare celestial spectacle – the Super Blue Moon.
A supermoon occurs when the full moon is closest to the Earth, while a blue moon refers to the second full moon of the month.
Astronomy researcher Mohammed Redha Al Asfoor, who gathered yesterday with stargazers at Nurana Island, said that the moon was in its orbital 357,218km away from the Earth, making it seem bigger and shinier compared to the micromoon, which is when the moon is at its farthest.
He added that the moon didn’t turn blue or change shape despite being called the blue moon.
“The supermoon and blue moon occurring at once is rare, with the next solo occurrence for a supermoon set in September 2024 and blue moon in May 2026,” he said.
Moonrise in Bahrain was at 5.51pm yesterday and the supermoon reached its peak at 4.35am this morning before disappearing at 5.20am local time.
&uuid=(email))