المملكة: Jeddah Astronomy: The Saudi sky awaits the last giant moon in 2025 tonight
The skies of Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab world are witnessing this evening, Thursday, December 4, a remarkable astronomical event, with the completion of the third and last giant moon for this year, according to what was explained by the President of the Astronomical Society in Jeddah, Engineer Majed Abu Zahra.
It appears The moontonight is 7 to 8% larger than usual, and with 15 to 16% more illumination than the average full moon throughout the year.
According to Abu Zahra, the moon will rise immediately after sunset from the eastern horizon, and may take on a striking pink or orange color. This is attributed to the phenomenon of light scattering in the atmosphere. As Short wavelengths are blue, while long wavelengths remain, such as red, to reach the eyes of observers, which is the same effect that makes the sun appear reddish at sunset.
Why does it appear gigantic?
Tonight’s moon is classified as a “supermoon” because it is full while it is close to the perigee point in its orbit around the Earth, where the distance between them is about 357,219 kilometers. Despite this closeness, Abu Zahira confirms that the difference is in The apparent size between it and the regular full moons will not be apparent with the naked eye. Its impact on Earth is also very limited and does not go beyond enhancing the phenomenon of perigee high tides, without any impact on the internal energy balance of the planet, as some believe.
Timing of the full moon
The moon reaches the full moon at 02:14 am on Friday, December 5, Mecca time, when it is in a full opposition position with the sun at an angle of 180 degrees. This time is an ideal opportunity for amateur observers to see the radioactive craters on the surface of the moon through small binoculars or telescopes, as some terrain appears flat as a result of direct light falling on it, while modern craters such as “Tycho” glow with their distinctive rays extending for thousands of kilometers.
Tips for monitoring before the gradual decline in appearance
Abu Zahra advises those wishing to document the scene to use small binoculars or telescopes, with the possibility of using cameras. Digital or smartphones equipped with zoom lenses, provided that they are mounted on tripods to ensure stable and clear images.
As the days pass, the moon will begin to rise later day after day, so that its appearance will be limited to the dawn and early morning periods. After about a week, it reaches the final square phase, marking the beginning of its decline until the crescent is born next month.
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