Watch glorious supermoon today! Don't miss out on this awesome opportunity

The beauty of the night sky is at its peak and has been so for the last two days. It is September's supermoon — popularly called the Harvest Moon which is adorning the night sky this weekend. A supermoon occurs when the Moon’s orbit is closest to Earth. The Moon doesn’t have a circular orbit, instead, the Moon orbits Earth in an ellipse, an oval that brings it closer to Earth at a particular time as it goes around. This current full moon was at its peak on Saturday, September 10. In case you missed the chance last night, then there is still another opportunity left for you to catch the brightest supermoon of this month today. Here’s when and how to watch the mesmerizing view of 'Harvest Moon' today.

When and how to watch Supermoon today

Skywatchers can catch the glimpse of the full moon right after sunset. This will be the best time as the moon will rise close to the horizon and will appear slightly larger than when it's high in the sky. You can watch the supermoon through the naked eyes. But, to have a better view, you can consider basic telescopes such as Celestron Astro Fi 102.

In case you miss the this opportunity to view this month's supermoon, then know that the next full moon will be the Hunter's Moon and it will fall on October 9.

Why this full moon is called the 'Harvest Moon'

According to NASA, the term "Harvest Moon" has been used to describe the full moon in September since at least 1706. Additionally, some farmers have historically used the full moon's light to work late into the night harvesting their crops, according to NASA. This full moon is the nearest to the autumnal equinox, when many crops are harvested in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, observed in China and numerous other Asian nations, and the 16-day Pitru Paksha period of the Hindu calendar frequently fall on the same day as the Harvest Moon. The beginning of the seven-day Jewish holiday of Sukkot fell on the same day as the moon the previous year.