Filenews 27 April 2021
Last night and tonight there will be the first super moon of this year (two more will follow in 2021), as the moon will be closer to Earth and the full moon will appear larger than usual for two consecutive nights.
This particular full moon was known to natives of America as the "Pink Moon" because it marked the appearance of a plant with pink flowers, one of the first of spring. The Moon will look slightly larger and brighter than usual, but it certainly won't have... Pink.
As the moon's elliptical orbit around the Earth increases the distance between the bodies, a super moon occurs when the full moon coincides temporally with a very close approach to the Moon. The Distance of Earth-Moon ranges from 406,712 kilometres (apogee) to 356,445 kilometres (perigee).
This afternoon, the Moon will reach a distance of up to 357,379 kilometres from Earth. A few hours earlier than this perigee, at about 7:30 Cypriot time, there will be a full moon, so the moon will look bigger tonight.
When the full moon occurs near the perigee, then it is considered that there is a super-Moon, super-Moon or super-full moon, conditions that are not astronomical. The term, according to the US Space Agency (NASA), was invented by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 and has since "caught" internationally.
A full moon in the perigee, as it is closer to us, looks up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than a full moon at the apogee. Also, a supermom is about 7% larger and 15% brighter than an average full moon.
The next two super moons of 2021 will occur on May 26 (it will be even closer than tonight and will also coincide with a lunar eclipse, which is why it will be called the "Blood Moon"), as well as on June 24th.
Source: The Liberal
