Roundest moon in a decade for Mid-Autumn Festival

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Taipei Astronomical Museum announced that the 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival will feature the roundest moon in a decade. The next similar occurrence won't happen until 2037.

The museum said that this year's celebration is unique as the full moon will rise at 5:46 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 29), with its peak brightness at 5:57 p.m., allowing spectators to witness a 100% full and bright moon.

The chance of a full moon occurring on the same day as the Mid-Autumn Festival is roughly one in three, with only 37 such instances in the 21st century.

This year's Mid-Autumn full moon is also the largest since 2015, with the moon situated approximately 361,553 kilometers from Earth.

In anticipation of the festival, the Taipei Astronomical Museum will hold a special event, "Mid-Autumn Rabbit Brings Joy," from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. tomorrow.

The event will be live-streamed via the museum's YouTube Channel, allowing viewers to experience the extraordinary moon.