People in Taiwan and in many countries across Asia, are observing the Ghost Festival on Sunday, which is the 15th day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar. Offerings are made to appease the ghosts, which are said to roam the earth at this time.
Meteorologists say that if the weather is clear enough, people in Taiwan will be able to observe a massive full moon on Sunday, as well. In fact, it’s called a supermoon – which is when a full moon coincides with the closest approach that the moon makes during its orbit around the earth. It occurs once every 413 or 414 days.
Sunday’s supermoon is also said to be the 39th largest in the last century. It will appear 14% larger than at its most distant pass in January. Astronomers say the best time to view the moon in Taiwan will be when it is closest to the horizon at about 6pm on Sunday… that’s because it will look large when compared with the buildings. But the moon will actually be closest to the earth at 2:09am on Monday morning, Taiwan time.
Taiwan’s central weather bureau says that people in central and southern Taiwan are not likely to see the supermoon, due to cloudy skies. They say that people in the north, in Taipei and Ilan, as well as those in the eastern county of Hualien, have the best shot at catching a glimpse.