In an astronomical phenomenon unprecedented in 993 years, the moon came very close to Earth last night, in a heavenly miracle that is likely to be repeated after 345 years.
And due to its proximity to Earth, this is the largest appearance of the moon in the sky since December 3, 1030. It was 356,568 kilometers, or 221,561 miles from Earth. According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory information, the next largest moon will be on January 20, 2368.
And the Moon’s orbit through the Earth is far from a full circle. In fact, it is elliptical and represents a barely extended circle. Because of its shape, the distance between the Moon and the Earth is constantly changing over the course of a month.
The point of the Moon’s orbit closest to Earth is called the “perihelion,” while the point farthest from the planet is known as the “aphelion.” The longest distance from Earth to the Moon is seen when the Earth is closest to the Sun. And this happened on January 4th. Nearly 2,000 years ago, 3 new moons occurred at distances of less than 356,570 km.
Venus and Saturn will align on the day following the new moon. Today’s moon holds great importance as it marks the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival.
According to the Chinese eastern calendar, this year is called the “Year of the Rabbit”. The total distance between the moon and the earth through such incidents is crucial.
On April 20, the world will witness a complete solar eclipse in Australia, Timor-Leste and West Papua. Also, in October, an annular light eclipse will be witnessed in the United States, Mexico and South America.
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