The journey of the giant olive moon between the clouds before sunset

Arab Weather - Dr. Ammar Al-Sakaji - President of the Jordanian Astronomical Society - Photographing the sunset of the giant olive moon on Friday morning, October 18, 2024, from the sky of Jordan. The giant or large moon is called astronomically the perigee moon, due to the full moon being "near" the perigee point in its orbit around the Earth (which is the closest point in the orbit), so that it is at a distance of 357 thousand kilometers (compared to its average distance from the Earth, which is 384 thousand kilometers). The moon's passage through the perigee point occurs at 3:47 am on Thursday, about 10 hours and 39 minutes before it is fully full.

The supermoon was slightly larger and brighter than a regular full moon, about 7% larger and 15% brighter than average. But only experienced astronomers who observe full moons regularly can distinguish these differences.

The phenomenon of supermoons occurs several times a year. However, the largest supermoon (i.e. the closest to Earth) of the twenty-first century will occur on December 6, 2052. On that day, the full moon will be at 10:18 a.m. (Jordan time). The moon will pass through the perigee point at 11:55 a.m. that day, at a distance of 356,000 kilometers from Earth.

The October Super Moon has several names in different cultures, perhaps the most famous of which is the Hunter's Moon in Anglo-Saxon culture and according to the Native Americans of North America. It is also called by other names in other cultures, such as the Cedar Moon, the Fallen Leaf Moon, the Frost Moon, the Blood Moon (in reference to the practice of hunting and storing catch for the winter) or the Migratory Moon (when birds begin to migrate south to warmer climates).

The name Tishreen, the month of giving, is a Babylonian name that entered Arabic through Aramaic, and means beginning or commencement. We can call this giant full moon in our country the “Olive Full Moon” because it coincides with the olive harvest season and the traditional wedding that accompanies it in the region.

It is worth noting that the phenomenon of the supermoon has nothing to do with predicting or occurring earthquakes, as the latter occur mainly due to geophysical factors.