A super moon will shine over the Philippines before dawn today, Tuesday, March 10.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration astronomical diary said the full moon this month has the second closest distance to Earth this year at 358,258 kilometers.
Today’s full moon will occur at 1:48 a.m. while its closest distance to Earth will be at 2:30 p.m., said PAGASA weather specialist Allan Alcaraz.
This full moon is also known as the worm moon and is named as such as March is the month in which worms start to reemerge after a cold winter.
Alcaraz explained that a super moon occurs when the Moon’s closest approach to the Earth called perigee coincides with the full moon.
It will appear about 10 percent bigger and will be 30 percent brighter than regular moons, he noted.
A super moon also causes slightly higher-than-usual tides.
Alcaraz explained that the super moon has an effect on the height of tides but will be minimal just like usual waves and may not cause flooding.
When the Moon is at perigee or closer to the Earth, there is much more gravitational pull, which contributes higher tides or greater variation in the high and low tide.
The super moon can be watched through naked eyes and best observed with clear skies. (Ellalyn V. Ruiz)