Jordan to observe rare ‘Mini-Apogee’ full moon on Monday

AMMAN — The Jordanian Astronomical Society on Thursday said that Jordan and other countries will witness a distinctive astronomical event on Monday evening: the May full moon, also called the "mini-apogee moon."

The moon will reach its peak illumination at precisely 8:00pm Jordan time and is expected to appear red or orange during moonrise due to its low position on the horizon and the effect of atmospheric scattering, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

President of the Jordanian Astronomical Society Ammar Sakaji said that the full moon will rise from the east-southeast approximately half an hour before reaching full phase. 

The phenomenon occurs when the full moon coincides with its position near apogee the farthest point in its elliptical orbit around Earth making it appear about 6 per cent smaller than a typical full moon, Sakaji noted. 

Its apparent diameter will be 29.48 arc minutes, compared to the 33.5 arc minutes of a supermoon near perigee, he added.

Sakaji noted that at the moment of fullness, the moon will be about 405,278 kilometres from Earth, having passed its apogee roughly 40 hours earlier, at 3:49am on Sunday.

He added that in various cultures, this full moon is referred to by symbolic names such as the "Flower Moon," "Bud Moon," "Agricultural Moon," and "Egg-Laying Moon," all of which evoke themes of renewal and growth typical of the spring season.

Sakaji underscored the value of such celestial events in enhancing humanity’s connection to the cosmos and encouraged astronomy enthusiasts to prepare cameras and telescopes to observe and document the occasion.

The society also urged photographers, especially astrophotographers, to capture images of the moon rising behind iconic Jordanian landmarks, including mosques, churches, archaeological sites, mountains, and deserts.