BANGKOK (The Nation Thailand/ANN): Two astronomical events await stargazers in Thailand and Southeast Asia on Sunday night and Wednesday night (August 30), the National Institute for Astronomical Research of Thailand announced. .
Saturn will reach its closest point to Earth for the year on Saturday night, and the Moon will do the same on Wednesday.
The Sun, Earth and Saturn will align on Sunday, bringing Saturn to just 1.31 billion kilometers from Earth, said the institute’s director of communications, Suparerk Khaehanon.
If the sky is clear, Saturn will be visible to the naked eye from eastern Thailand from after sunset until nightfall on Monday, he said, adding that Saturn’s rings and moons can be seen with a telescope.
From Wednesday through Thursday morning, the Moon will be just 220,000 miles from Earth, creating the second blue moon this month.
The full moon will appear about 7% larger and 15% brighter than usual, Suparerk said.
The blue moon’s maximum visibility will be in the east shortly after 6 p.m., Suparerk said.
The public is invited to observe both astronomical events at the institute’s four main observatories: the Sirindhorn Astronomical Park in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district and the observatories at Nakhon Ratchasima, Songkhla and Chachoengsao.
Both events will also be broadcast live via the institute’s Facebook page. – The Nation Thailand/ANN