Don’t Miss the Pink Supermoon Tonight
If you want to take a break from all your many worries right now (there are so many), be sure to take a few minutes tonight to gaze up at the sky overhead, as tonight’s full moon will be the largest and brightest of all. year.
This will be the so-called pink supermoon , so named because of the pink flowers, which are usually among the first to appear in the spring in the United States. In general, a supermoon occurs when the full moon coincides with perigee, that is, when the moon orbits closer to Earth.
Tonight, the Moon will appear slightly larger to the naked eye – about 7% larger than the average-sized full moon and 14% larger than the smallest moon called the micromoon. More noticeable will be a disproportionate increase in the brightness of the moon; today’s moon will be about 15% brighter than the average moon and 30% brighter than a micromoon.
This is the third consecutive month that the full moon meets supermoon status, and May is also eligible. But today’s supermoon will be the largest and brightest of all supermoons this year, so be sure to check it out.
Astronomers report that the moon will be particularly spectacular during moonrise tonight , while the exact moment the moon will be full will be at 10:35 am ET and it will rise to its highest point in the sky around midnight. However, if you can’t grasp these exact moments, don’t worry: the moon will remain full for the rest of the night. (If you want to pinpoint the exact times of moonrise and moonset in your area, check here .)
If you have children, this can be an especially good night to let them stay up late and learn about the different phases of the moon and how the moon orbits the earth . Even if you choose not to turn this natural phenomenon into a learning experience, you still have the opportunity to stop, take a breath, and appreciate that beauty still exists around us.