Bigger, brighter Supermoon to light up the sky tonight!

Zee Media Bureau/R Nandini

London: A wonderful spectacle awaits the stargazers on Sunday evening when the moon will be closest to earth with just 221,765 miles away. This supermoon coincides with the hindu festival `Janmashtami` (lord shri Krishna`s birth anniversary) which makes the event even more special for many. The moon would appear 16 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than usual. Astronomers are expected to be lapping up the event which would see the moon travel 863 miles closer to the earth than normal. But many superstitions are attached to the appearance of Supermoons. The Bible too gives terrifying warnings of impending doom signaled by rare and foreboding cycles of the moon. It has been reported that the `supermoon` on August 10 might set in motion the "end of life" on earth. Though if we look from the scientific perspective we can well understand the logic behind the paranoia attached to supermoons. Moon`s gravitational pull affects the rising of sea levels and tides and the same happens when a supermoon surfaces, as it`s the time when moon is closest to Earth. Therefore, the more it gets closer, the more powerful the gravitational pull becomes, hence, the chances of dangerously high tides and Tsunami arise. Science and superstition seldom goes hand in hand. Therefore, a spectacle like this would be more enjoyable to those who have a scientific bent of mind. (With Agency Inputs)