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Check Out the Last Supermoon of 2020, May’s Flower Moon

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Flower Moon Over Mountains

Photo: NASA/Bill Dunford

Another supermoon is making its appearance in the skies. Known as the Flower Moon, it’s the last supermoon we’ll see in 2020 and will cause the celestial body to look fuller and brighter than normal. Visible from late evening on May 6 until the morning of May 8, it’s a great opportunity to look up and take in the stars with your family.

Like all supermoons, May’s event was named by Native Americans who used them to track the seasons. Given the abundance of flowers we see in May, it’s not surprising that this supermoon was named the Flower Moon. According to The Farmer’s Almanac, we can thank the Algonquin tribe for this particular name.

In a typical year, we see one full moon a month. Of those full moons, 3 or 4 will be supermoons. A supermoon occurs when a full moon comes within 90% of a perigree—the closest it comes to Earth on its orbit. On average, a supermoon will be 7% fuller and 15% brighter than a regular full moon.

Though the Flower Moon isn’t quite as bright as the vivid April supermoon, it’s still quite a sight to behold. It was at its brightest when it appeared opposite the Earth at 10:45 UTC on Thursday morning. However, as it was below the horizon at that time, the best viewing opportunities are on Thursday night if you missed out on seeing it Wednesday evening. If you want to time your moongazing perfectly, use this moonrise and moonset calculator that will give you to perfect times based on your location.

Luckily, some gorgeous photographs of the Flower Moon are already starting to emerge as different areas of the world were already able to see this bright, shining full moon. Those who want to follow the action online can check out the Virtual Telescope Project’s livestream of the Flower Moon over Rome, which will begin on May 7 at 6:30 pm UTC.

So take in these shots of the Flower Moon and get ready to take in the phenomenal astronomy event while you have a chance. And, if you are curious about other cool astronomy events happening this year, download this free 2020 celestial calendar to see what else is in store.

The Flower Moon, the last supermoon of the year, will be visible through the morning of May 8.

h/t: [CNN]

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