2019's Biggest and Brightest Super Snow Moon visible in India: When and where to watch

New Delhi, Feb 19: Skygazers will be treated to the largest supermoon of the year today. Those lucky enough can glimpse what is promising to be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year so far, the super snow moon.

It's the second of three supermoons to light up the skies this year, following the Super Blood Wolf Moon that took place on January 21 and preceding yet another on March 21.

Biggest and Brightest supermoon

A supermoon occurs when the moon is as close as it ever gets to Earth. On Tuesday, our moon will "only" be about 221,000 miles from Earth, which is about 17,000 miles closer than average.

The combination of the Moon's closest approach to Earth and the Moon reaching its moment of greatest illumination together makes the Moon brighter and larger than the usual.

Why it is called Super snow moon

January's 'Wolf Moon' was so called because that month's full moon traditionally coincided with the wild howling of wolves on a bleak winter's night on the plains of America. The Snow Moon is another Native American name, and February's full moon is simply named after the snow often found on the ground during the month. However, February's full moon was also sometimes known as the Hunger Moon and Bone Moon.

When you can see it in India

The Super Snow Moon will peak on 19 February 2019 at 21:23 pm. You can use Binoculars or a small telescope to see it.

The astronomical event is often referred to as the snow moon because the time of the year it occurs witnesses the maximum and heaviest snowfall of the year.

Talking about the science behind the cosmic phenomenon, a super moon unfolds when the moon's orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth at the same time it is full, according to NASA.

The space agency's website says, "When a full moon appears at perigee [its closest point to Earth] it is slightly brighter and larger than a regular full moon - and that's where we get a 'super moon'," adding that the phrase was coined in 1979.

How to capture Super moon

If you want to capture it with your android phones then you can click pictures on Monday night or on Tuesday during moonrise. Make sure that you do not zoom the picture and use a tripod to get it clicked.