'Worm Moon' sighting: New supermoon to appear bigger than usual on Monday

People will witness the upcoming second supermoon of the year on Monday night over the skies of United Kingdom (UK) which is nicknamed as ‘Worm Moon’ as it will appear seven per cent bigger than usual and full  from Sunday right through to Tuesday night.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the ‘Worm Moon’ will be ‘spectacularly bright’ and appear about seven per cent larger than a normal full moon on March 9.

Earlier, the first supermoon had been sighted in UK on February 9.

A supermoon occurs when the full moon nearly coincides with perigee – the point in the orbit of the moon at which it is nearest to the Earth, Dailymail UK reported.

The moment when the Moon is completely illuminated by the Sun 222,081 miles away from Earth is will be at 5:48pm GMT on Monday.

A supermoon occurs when the full moon nearly coincides with perigee – the point in the orbit of the moon at which it is nearest to the Earth.

This means a supermoon can appear as much as 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than normal, when viewed from Earth, depending on the time of year.

Full moon names, which are used to describe the supermoons, were historically used to track the seasons and therefore are closely related to nature.

‘Worm Moon’ is the common name for March’s full moon because at the time it appears the ground begins to soften and heaps of soil left by worms start to appear.

This invites the return of birds to feed, which is seen as a sign of springtime  starting to return after a long winter.

 ‘Pink Moon’ and ‘Flower Moon’

There will be two additional supermoons this season – April 8, when a ‘Pink Moon’ will be 221,851 miles from Earth, and the ‘Flower Moon’ on May 7, at 224,429 miles away.

The Worm Moon is the second of the supermoons to grace the sky this year, following the ‘Snow Moon’ in early February, so-called as it often coincides with heavy snowfall.

The supermoon on November 14, 2016 was the closest full supermoon since January 26, 1948, and will not be surpassed until November 25, 2034, according to Earth Sky.

The closest full supermoon of the 21st century will occur on December 6, 2052.