What the heck! Is a supermoon?

There has been a lot of buzz and interest in the moon lately especially when it comes to the term supermoon. So, what the heck is a supermoon? Supermoons are moons that become full when their orbits are much closer than normal to Earth also known as perigee. When its furthest away its known as apogee. During the moons perigee the moon looks bigger and as much as 30% brighter. After I did some research, I found that a clear definition (much to my surprise) varies in the world of astronomy. The general rule for the moon to be called a supermoon is when the moons perigee (closest part of the moons orbit to earth) tracks less than 223,000 miles from the earth during its full phase. (some say 226,000 miles or closer to be called a supermoon and others say there is a cutoff at 223,694 miles from Earth) Whatever standard you choose, it is what it is, however it seems that 223,000 miles or closer is used more often. Now that we know the rule we find that in 2020 we will only have 2 full super moons. March 9, 2020 and April 8, 2020. There is a lot of chatter about May 7, 2020 being a supermoon when the moons perigee (how close to Earth) will be 224,429 miles from away which is a tad over the 223,000 miles or less rule to be classified as a supermoon. Close but not close enough.

So, our two supermoons will take place March 9th at 222,081 miles and April 8th will come in at 221,851 miles from earth. A fun fact for the full moons of March 2020 is that it’s a Super Worm Moon. The full moon in March traditionally goes by the name worm moon this refers to the fact that earth worms and grubs tend to emerge from their winter dormancy at this time each year, marking a sign that Spring is soon to follow. This is yet another reason to look to the Heavens. Cheers, Nomad