Look at the Sky at 8:26 PM on the 17th... See the Biggest Full Moon

About 1 Year and 2 Months Since August Last Year
Moonrise at 5:38 PM in Seoul
Various Events at National Gwacheon Science Museum

A supermoon is expected to appear for the first time in about 1 year and 2 months since last August. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The first 'Supermoon' (a large and bright full moon that appears when the moon is closest to the Earth) of the year will make its appearance.

The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (hereinafter KASI) announced that the largest full moon of the year can be observed at 8:26 PM on the 17th. At this time, the moon is expected to appear 14% larger than the smallest full moon (Mini Moon). The Supermoon will rise at 5:38 PM and set at 7:22 AM the next day in Seoul, with the moon appearing largest at 8:26 PM. The moonrise times by region are 5:32 PM in Busan, 5:33 PM in Daegu, 5:38 PM in Daejeon, and 5:41 PM in Gwangju.

A Supermoon refers to the phenomenon where a full moon appears brighter and larger than usual when the moon is closest to the Earth during its orbit. On the 17th, the distance from the Earth to the moon will be approximately 357,400 km, about 27,000 km closer than the average distance of 384,400 km between the Earth and the moon. Regarding this, KASI explained, "Although the physical distance between the moon and the Earth becomes slightly closer, atmospheric conditions and subjective factors also influence how large the moon appears, so the naked eye may not perceive a significant difference."

Meanwhile, this Supermoon is the first in about 1 year and 2 months since August 31 of last year. On this day, the National Gwacheon Science Museum will hold Supermoon observation, related lectures, and experiences from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM. Detailed moonrise and moonset times by region for the Supermoon can be checked on the KASI Astronomy and Space Knowledge Information website.