First supermoon of the year lights up the skies, delighting sky gazers

SINGAPORE – Sky gazers across the island were rewarded for their patience when the spectacular sturgeon moon lit up the evening skies on Aug 19.

Many took to Facebook to share their prized shots, including Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, once the moon appeared.

On the CloudSpotting and SkySpotting Singapore group - which boasts over 100,000 members - a variety of photos from different areas of the island were posted.

One member, Ms Katherine Liam, who has been a member of the group for the past three years and is a big astronomy fan, said that she was in Choa Chu Kang running some errands at about 8pm when she spotted the rising supermoon.

The 51-year-old housewife told The Straits Times: “I went across the street to get some stuff and saw the moon so I took the opportunity to capture it.

“I took this photo in two separate shots with my SamsungS24+ phone. The first shot included the foreground with the moon and the second shot was taken with (the zoom feature). I combined them using Snapseed app using the double exposure effect.”

Ms Liam said she makes it a point to take photos of the supermoons every year.

PM Wong also joined in the fun by posting his shot of the moon partially hidden by clouds in a Facebook post on the evening of Aug 19.

“A glimpse of the super moon tonight from my office. Hope you all have the chance to catch this rare sight,” he wrote.

The Aug 19 sighting was the first supermoon of 2024 and was also a rare seasonal blue moon.

A supermoon occurs when the Moon’s orbit is closest to Earth. The Moon is about 360,000km from Earth, appearing 6 per cent to 7 per cent larger and brighter than usual.

There will be three more supermoons – on Sept 18, Oct 17, and Nov 15 – provided the skies are clear. They will be visible at distances ranging from 357,000km to 361,000km from Earth.

A blue moon refers to the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. Despite its name, the moon will not appear blue unless specific atmospheric conditions are present.

The Aug 19 moon is also called the sturgeon moon, named by Native Americans after the large sturgeon fish, whom they believed would be caught more easily during this period.

According to the Science Centre Observatory, the sturgeon moon was expected to be visible from approximately 7pm Singapore time, and reached its highest point at around 1am on Aug 20.

The Aug 19 rarity was not Mr Fong Chee Wai’s first time shooting the supermoon. The member from the CloudSpotting and SkySpotting Singapore group said that he has taken photos of such occurrences several times and noted that it is important to know when the moon will rise and in which direction before camping out.

He rose early on the morning of Aug 20 at 6.45am and was rewarded with the celestial body before disappearing into the clouds at East Coast Park, thanks to his Nikon Z8 mirrorless camera with 400mm lens, Mr Fong, who is in the food and nutrition research and development said. He declined to reveal his age.

Another lucky skygazer, Mr William Lim depended on his telescope from a rooftop garden to get the winning shot.

He said: “I like astromomy since young, but during that time I couldn’t afford one. And as times passed, I did not pursue the hobby only a few years ago start to buy my first beginner telescope and that’s how i retook my hobby again.”

He added that his photo is of a composite one - meaning that it is a combination of a few photos into one. The 45-year-old engineer uses this method as photos captured from the telescope sometimes turn out dull, adding that he has enjoyed taking photos of the previous supermoons.