The night skies will be illuminated by a supermoon on Monday, marking the first appearance of the natural phenomenon this year. Supermoon refers to the state in which the moon is relatively close to Earth in its elliptical orbit, making it appear larger and brighter compared to a regular full moon.
The term "supermoon" was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. Unlike the new moon, a supermoon consistently captures public attention because it’s the largest and brightest full moon of the year.
In fact, the moon lighting up the night sky Monday night will be the first of four consecutive supermoons for 2024. The distance between the Earth's center and the moon's center will be 361,970 kilometers (224,939 miles) on Monday night.
The next three events will occur on September 17 (when a partial lunar eclipse will also be visible in Israel and across the globe), the third supermoon will appear on October 17 and be closest to Earth (357,364 kilometers or 222,043 miles), and the fourth and final supermoon will show up on November 15 at a distance of 361,867 kilometers (224,853 miles) from Earth.
Although it won't appear blue, it’s also a "blue moon," a term first documented in 1582. A blue moon refers to a full moon that occurs in two different cases: a monthly blue moon (the second full moon in a month) and a seasonal blue moon (the third of four full moons in a season).
Since the summer solstice on June 21, full moons were seen on June 22 and July 21, making the supermoon on August 19 the third in the series, with the next full moon rising on the night of September 18, before the autumn equinox on September 22, when day and night are of equal length.
Another name for this full moon is the "Sturgeon Moon," named after the large fish found in the Great Lakes during this time of year, which are more easily caught at this time.
The phenomenon aligns with the "Raksha Bandhan" Hindu festival, which celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. According to tradition, the sister ties a colorful and decorated bracelet around her brother's wrist and blesses him, while the brother promises to continue protecting and caring for his sister, giving her a gift as a sign of their ongoing bond.