Space enthusiasts gathered at Abu Dhabi Corniche on Monday evening to see the moon like never before — or the supermoon as it’s called, when the moon appears larger and brighter than usual because of its close proximity to earth.
Supermoons happen when a full or new moon occurs on its closest approach to earth during its orbit. This year’s supermoon was extra special because of its historical significance. The last time the moon got this close to earth was in 1948 and the next one is in 2034.
Marwan Badra, from Syria, was on hand to view the space spectacle. “My hobby is photography, in particular taking photographs of nature, and so I had to come out here to take photos of the moon because it’s very rare that you ever get the chance to see the moon like this. It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I have been living in the UAE for 40 years and I have never seen something like this,” he said.
Ganesh Dcholkar from India said he wanted to catch a piece of space history. “I am a fan of astronomy. In Abu Dhabi because of all the lights you don’t normally get to see the stars so clearly, but with this supermoon it is a fantastic opportunity to get that chance to observe what is happening outside our planet and I really felt so happy and excited to see the moon so big and bright.”
Emmanuel Palmeiro, from Portugal, said the experience made him feel at peace and part of something much bigger.
“I am really happy with what I saw. I really felt at peace seeing the moon come up like that. It allowed me for a moment to forget all the problems and bad things that are happening on earth, and made me feel like I was up in space. This has never happened during my life so it is an extra special feeling to be able to witness history,” he said.
Raquel Filipa, also from Portugal, said she heard about the supermoon event on the news and decided to check it our for herself.
“I have been hearing about this event on the news over the previous few days, and I got excited about it and wanted to come and see what it would be like. It was definitely worth it and very exciting. The moon looked so close to us from where we standing so that was amazing,” she said.
Joanna Cacpal, from the Philippines, like many other watchers, said she wanted to come and see a small bit of history.
“It’s quite rare to get the chance to see historical space or astronomy events, so I wanted to come down for that chance, and to also obviously see the moon in a different way than we normally view it. It was a very nice show to watch.”
Facts about the 2016 supermoon
The moon was 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter in the sky
The moon appeared at its brightest at around 5.52pm
The moon’s distance to the earth during the event was around 363,000 kilometres
The last time the moon got this close to earth was in 1948
The next time the moon is expected to get this close to earth will be in 2034
Supermoons occur because the full or new moon happens when it comes closest to earth during its orbit
Residents gather at Corniche to watch supermoon
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