Supermoon to coincide with China's Mid-Autumn 'Mooncake' Festival

A magnificent supermoon will illuminate night skies across China during this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, adding an enchanting dimension to this traditional lunar-centric holiday.

The festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, is a cherished occasion to enjoy time with loved ones and eat mooncakes -- a round pastry whose shape symbolizes the full moon.

Moon-gazing is also a traditional practice during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Serendipitously, the three-day festival this year has been graced by a spectacular supermoon, with the best viewing time expected to be on the night of September 17th, the festival's main evening.

According to the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the moon will appear most beautiful when it first rises above the horizon. At that time, the moonlight, scattered through the atmosphere, will take on a warm, golden hue before the night has fully descended, allowing for a picturesque view where the moonlight softly blends in the shades of evening.

Li Ning, a meteorological analyst at the China Meteorological Administration said it was a pity that several parts of the country may be unable to see the supermoon due to clouds or even rain, but she celebrated the fact that much of eastern China will enjoy fine conditions for moon gazing.

"In Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Anhui, the skies are expected to clear on Mid-Autumn Festival, just the day following the typhoon, ensuring that the moon-gazing activities on the night of the festival will be unaffected," said Li Ning, a meteorological analyst at the China Meteorological Administration.

The combination of a supermoon and generally favorable weather conditions promises a stunning celestial display, making it a perfect opportunity for Chinese families to enjoy the time-honored tradition of moon-gazing.

Supermoon to coincide with China's Mid-Autumn 'Mooncake' Festival

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday slashed interest rates by 50 basis points amid cooling inflation and a weakening labor market, marking the first rate cut in over four years.

"The Committee has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2 percent, and judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are roughly in balance," the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the central bank's policy-setting body, said in a statement.

"In light of the progress on inflation and the balance of risks, the Committee decided to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/2 percentage point to 4-3/4 to 5 percent," the FOMC said.

This signals the start of an easing cycle. Starting from March 2022, the Fed had raised rates consecutively for 11 times to combat inflation not seen in forty years, pushing the target range for the federal funds rate up to between 5.25 percent and 5.5 percent, the highest level in over two decades.

After maintaining rates at the high level for over a year, the Fed's tight monetary policy faced pressure to pivot due to the easing of inflationary pressures, signs of weakening in the job market, and slowing economic growth.

U.S. Fed slashes rates by 50 basis points, first rate cut in four years