Moon will be closest to Earth on November 14, 2016 and it will be brightest since 1948. Moon would appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter compared to normal full moon. Moon rises at 5.45 pm on November 14 (Monday).
Releasing a special poster titled “Salute: Indian Flag on Moon” in connection with eighth anniversary of Indian Flag on Moon” here on Friday, N Raghunandan Kumar, director & founder-secretary of Planetary Society of India, said Super Moon on Monday will be closest to earth at Perigee Point until 2034. He said in a year Moon comes 13 to 14 times close to Earth but not always it occurs on day of Full Moon. Further in a Year Super Moons occur 3 to 4 times. The year 2016 has three super moons on October 16, November 14 and December 14. However, the Super Moon on Monday is closest one until 2034. This year’s farthest apogee happened on October 31, 2016 (406,662 km), and the closest perigee comes on November 14, 2016 (356,509 km). That’s a difference of about 50,000 km.
He said Moon Impact Probe (MIP) Chandrayaan–1 India’s first mission to Moon was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation on October 22, 2008, and operated until August 2009. The mission included a lunar orbiter and an impactor called Moon Impact Probe (MIP) which landed on surface of Moon on November 14, 2008. MIP had Indian Flag embossed on its sides.
On this occasion, Planetary Society of India, with support of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) is organizing a special program at Sanjeevaiah Park (Largest Indian Flag) from 5pm to 7.30pm to observe Closest Super Moon and to Salute Moon remembering Indian Flag & MIP (Chandrayaan I )
He said schools and students are invited to attend the program. For this they can visit and freely register at www.ournewplanets.info or call/sms 100 Govt. Schools: Further Planetary Society India as part of its “Kalam Observation Center” prog will conduct series of activities in 100 Govt. Schools of GHMC from 14 Nov – 14 Dec, 2016. (NSS)