Stargazers across the UAE enjoyed the largest Supermoon of the year on Wednesday evening. Clear skies for most meant strong visibility of about 10 kilometres. With people staying at home due to the coronavirus, the Dubai Astronomy Group broadcast the spectacle live over their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/channel/UChcenXNwvGDeR0wZlJxc2MQ">social media channels</a>. The 'Super Pink Moon' was the biggest and brightest of the four Supermoons to appear this year. Supermoons get their name as they occur when the Moon passes the Earth at its closest point, making it appear larger and brighter than a normal full Moon. The April 8 Supermoon was expected o be 14 per cent larger than normal, according to experts. It is the third Supermoon of the year. The first one was the Snow Moon on February 9, followed by the Worm Moon on March 9, when the Moon appeared about 10 per cent larger than normal. The last Supermoon of the year will be the Flower Moon on May 7. “The names of the moons aren’t the scientific ones,” said Hasan Al Hariri, the chief executive of the Dubai Astronomy Group. "Some have been named to represent the importance of certain seasons in different parts of the world, such as the Pink Moon." A Native American tribe gave the Pink Moon its name to represent the spring blooms of a wild flower called phlox subulata. However, the name has nothing to do with the colour of the Moon. Instead it takes on a golden hue near the horizon and fades to bright white. The Supermoon will be followed by the Lyrid meteor shower, which will last from April 16 to 25. Between 10 and 15 meteors an hour can be expected during the shower’s peak.
