[Reading Science] 'Jeongwol Daeboreum Moon, Watch at 9:30 PM'

by Paek Jongmin

Published 24 Feb.2024 11:02(KST)

On February 24, 2024, the day of Jeongwol Daeboreum, the full moon will appear the roundest at 9:30 PM.

The Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute announced that, based on Seoul time, the moon will rise at 6:03 PM on February 24 and become a completely full moon at 9:30 PM. The time when the full moon reaches its highest point will be at 12:56 AM on the 25th.

29th Astrophotography Contest Silver Award Winner (A Neighborhood Embracing the Moon, Seo Young-gyun). Photo by Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute

Generally, people think that the full moons of Jeongwol Daeboreum or Chuseok are the largest, but that is not actually the case.

A full moon can be seen when the sun and the moon are positioned exactly opposite each other in a straight line relative to the Earth. When the moon, which orbits in an elliptical path, passes its perigee, it appears larger, and when it passes its apogee, it appears smaller.

Because the moon's orbital period does not exactly match the solar calendar year, the month in which the full moon appears largest varies each year.