RIYADH — The Hunter's Supermoon graced Saudi Arabia's skies on Thursday, captivating astronomy enthusiasts across the Kingdom as it painted a beautiful scene with its silvery rays. The Saudi Press Agency's (SPA) lens captured the full moon's display as it illuminated the Asir region's heavens this evening. Also known as the harvest moon, this lunar phase is closely tied to the seasonal harvests of crops in the northern hemisphere. It is celebrated traditionally in China during mid-autumn, coinciding with the festivities of the Chinese New Year. As the Hunter's Moon graces the sky, signaling the transition to mid-autumn and the impending winter season, wildlife emerges from their burrows and stocks up on food with falling foliage. Positioned between the planets Saturn and Jupiter, this celestial event presents astronomy enthusiasts with a unique opportunity to witness and capture rare celestial alignments. The supermoon is expected to reach its closest point to Earth — becoming about 30 percent brighter and appearing 14 percent larger than the average full moon—around 11:26 p.m. EDT (Eastern Daylight Time). A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the moon reaching its closest distance—a point known as perigee that's about 226,000 miles away—from the Earth in its 27-day orbit on Thursday night. There have been two other supermoons this year on Aug. 19 and Sept. 18, and another is forecast for Nov. 15. However, the moon has not and is not expected to be as close to the Earth as that of Thursday.
