‘Supermoon’: See 2014’s brightest Moon tonight

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – If you chance upon the moon tonight, you might notice it to appear a bit bigger – because it’s another episode of the so-called “supermoon.”

On Sunday, August 10, we will see another instance of the “supermoon” phenomenon, a time when our lone natural satellite looks bigger than usual during its full moon phase.

Technically it is 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.

“Generally speaking, full Moons occur near perigee every 13 months and 18 days, so it’s not all that unusual,” Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory told NASA. 

Below are some of the best shots of the “supermoon” taken by netizens from different parts of the country.

It will be at its biggest and brightest appearance during moonrise, which will be starting at around 5:50 pm in the Philippines. This is what called as the “Moon Illusion,” when it is nearest the horizon, NASA said.

The full moon, meanwhile, will be at its ‘fullest’ at around 2:09 am.

This month, it will be around 353,552 kilometers close, and around 30% brighter compared to January’s full moon, LifeHacker Australia reported.

Because of the distance of the moon and other factors, such as prevailing weather conditions, it would be hard to spot the difference between tonight’s moon and other full moons – but it would be a great sight nonetheless. – Rappler.com