Celestial Countdown: 3 Supermoons and Meteor Showers to Dazzle Singapore by Year-End
Following the spectacular blood moon on September 8, three supermoons are scheduled to illuminate the night skies in the final quarter of 2025, providing astronomy enthusiasts in Singapore with a triple treat.
As long as the skies are clear, the supermoons should be easily visible to the unaided eye from anywhere in Singapore.
The Harvest Moon, which will also be the first supermoon of 2025, will be the first in the year-end celestial lineup on October 7, according to the Observatory at Science Centre Singapore.
In Singapore, it will rise at around 7 pm and become clearly visible starting at 8 pm. The Harvest Moon gets its name because it used to provide farmers in the Northern Hemisphere with additional hours to harvest crops due to its early evening brightness.
Next up on November 5 is the Beaver Moon. Its name alludes to the period of time when fur trappers used to set their traps before waterways froze and when beavers in North America get ready for winter.
The Cold Moon on December 4 brings the sequence to a close. As its name suggests, it heralds the arrival of the Northern Hemisphere’s long, chilly December nights.
A supermoon is when a full moon falls at the point in its orbit that is closest to Earth, making it appear 6% to 7% larger and brighter than usual.
Stargazers can anticipate the Draconid meteor shower in October in addition to the October supermoon. It will peak on October 8 and run from October 7 to October 10.
Though the intensity varies greatly, the meteor shower is visible to the unaided eye once a year.
Those who want to see it should look for darker spots away from city lights, like parks, beaches, reservoirs, or open areas. Cloud cover may affect visibility.
The Draconids are the sixth of 11 meteor showers that Singapore will be able to see in 2025, according to the observatory. The Orionids, which peak between October 21 and October 22, will take their place after the Perseids in August.
The Draconids are named for their radiant point in the constellation Draco the Dragon, and they originate from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. The region of the sky that appears to be the source of a meteor shower’s meteors is known as a radiant point.
You can see the Draconids early in the evening, unlike most meteor showers, which are best viewed after midnight. The shower can produce dramatic bursts, but it is usually modest, with an average of about 10 meteors per hour. However, in 2025, the bright full moon will probably make it more difficult to see the faint streaks.
