Gandhinagar: Amid the 21-day lock down invoked to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, stargazers can witness the Super Moon on April 8 sky from their homes.

The year 2020 is a special year with 13 full moons to brighten the night sky including three supermoons, four lunar eclipses and even a blue moon.

The biggest, brightest supermoon of 2020 will be appearing in the night sky April 8, 2020, Wednesday.

Of the three supermoons this year, April’s supermoon will come closest to our planet – and thus appear the largest. April’s supermoon is the second of three to take place in in a row, following March’s supermoon and preceding May’s supermoon, due to take place on May 7.

A supermoon occurs when the moon is especially close to Earth while it’s full. The moon’s closeness to Earth, naturally, makes it look extra-close and extra-bright – up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than a full moon at its farthest point from Earth.

The term “supermoon” was coined in 1979 by astrologer Richard Nolle. It has become an increasingly more popular and media-friendly term in the decades since then.

According to NASA, it’s used by the media today to describe what astronomers would call a perigean full moon: a full moon occurring near or at the time when the moon is at its closest point in its orbit around Earth.

It’s time everyone to look skyward, and get refreshed with the supermoon through window or terrace during this COVID 19 pandemic lockdown situation.

(A note by Shri Narottam Sahoo, scientist and science educator, presently working as Advisor at Gujarat Council on Science & Technology GUJCOST, Gandhinagar)