‘Supermoon’ graces Monday night sky

MANILA, Philippines – In the early evening of Monday, November 14, look up the sky – and see a moon that would appear to be bigger than the usual. 

On Monday, the Moon will be at its closest point to Earth, making it appear closer and larger in the night sky, a phenomenon usually called as a “supermoon.”

It is officially called the “perigee moon,” a time when the Moon will be closest to Earth – caused by the elliptical nature of its orbit around the planet.

“The Moon will reach perigee – Moon’s closest point as it orbits Earth – on November 14,2016 at 07:21 PM (PST) almost 2 hours 31 minutes before going Full Moon at 09:52 PM (PST),” state weather bureau PAGASA said in a post in its website.

At 7:21 pm, the Moon will be just 356,621.66 kilometers from Earth – a very close distance in celestial terms.

“This will be the closest perigee since the January 26, 1948 and the moon won’t be seen this close to Earth again until November 26, 2034,” the bureau said.

“This year’s supermoon is one of the closest and biggest in 68 years and it won’t happen again until 2034,” PAGASA said.

However, this won’t be the only perigee moons this year. There was one last October 17, and another one will occur on December 13 – but these won’t be as close as Monday’s event.

Your view of the moon will also depend on other factors, such as the weather. – Rappler.com