With skies clearer nowadays as less cars ply the roads of Metro Manila, it may be the perfect time to gaze at the night sky and catch the year's biggest and brightest moon—the "Pink Supermoon" as it is called—on April 8 at 2:09 a.m. (Philippine standard time). But don't go looking for a strawberry-tinted moon as the name means that this is the first full moon of spring; and that this “new or full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit,” according to Richard Nole's definition of a supermoon.
Supermoons occur when the moon's orbit brings the natural satellite as close to the Earth as it can. This point in the orbit closest to our planet is called the "perigee" by astronomers. While there was another supermoon in March called "Worm Moon," April's supermoon will be the closest the moon will ever be to our planet in 2020—with a perigee distance of 357,016.803 kilometers in the wee hours of morning on April 8.
The color pink, on the other hand, was attributed to this occurrence because centuries ago, Native Americans (and hundreds of other civilizations) used the moon to track the time of the year and the seasons. The April moon is the first full moon of spring after the Spring Equinox on March 20, and it heralds the arrival of the new season—and coincides with the blooming of the Phlox subulata or the moss pink flower, a gorgeous spring wildflower that carpets the woodlands of eastern North America.
The full moon will be closest to earth on April 8, 2:09 a.m. and will reach its peak at 10:35 a.m. (Philippine standard time). A supermoon can also look 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a full moon at apogee (a.k.a. the point when the moon is furthest away from the Earth).
You can check it out on either Tuesday night or Wednesday night (or both) via your balcony or window to appreciate the "Pink Supermoon" in all its glory. Just make sure to practice social distancing if you plan to take a peek from your driveway.
Main image by Roger Purdie from Pixabay; for illustrative purposes only.