Stargazers in Oman will witness a spectacular celestial event on Wednesday – the first lunar eclipse of 2021. What will make this event special is that it coincides with a supermoon, a lunar eclipse and a blood moon all at once. 

The full moon will appear bigger, brighter and redder than usual owing to the rare simultaneous occurrence of a supermoon and a lunar eclipse taking place in some parts of the world on Wednesday. Although the supermoon will be witnessed everywhere in Oman, the eclipse will not be visible from the sultanate. 

May’s full moon is the second of two supermoons in 2021, with the previous occurring on April 27. 

The term supermoon refers to the Moon’s proximity to Earth, having first been coined in 1979 by astrologer Richard Nolle. Any full or new moon that is within 90 per cent of perigee – its closest distance to Earth – is considered a ‘supermoon’. 

According to NASA, the Moon will be located on the Earth’s opposite side from the Sun and fully illuminated on May 26. ‘This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Flower Moon because this was the time of year when spring flowers appeared in abundance,’ NASA stated.