The biggest and brightest supermoon this year is set to grace the skies on Wednesday.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration said the moon will reach its perigee or the point in its orbit nearest the Earth at 2:09 a.m.
The forthcoming full moon has the closest distance to Earth this year at 357,016.803 kilometers. It will appear 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than a regular full moon, thus the term supermoon.
However, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a 30 percent difference in brightness can easily be masked by clouds or the competing glare of urban lights.
PAGASA noted that the supermoon is actually a modern astrological term coined by Richard Nolle, defining it as “a new or full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90 percent of its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit.”
In astronomy, it is called a “perigee full moon,” or a full moon that is closer to Earth than average.
The PAGASA said that a supermoon could trigger just a slightly higher-than-usual tides. It explained that the supermoon has an effect on the height of tides but will be minimal just like usual waves and may not cause flooding. (Ellalyn Ruiz)
