Watch the Skies: First of 3 supermoons - WOODTV.com

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — There will be a full moon Monday night, but it’s not just any full moon. It’s a supermoon.

Unfortunately, cloudy skies and rain showers are expected, so our viewing of the full supermoon will be less than ideal. Thankfully, there are three full supermoons to look forward to in 2020.

The March full moon is also called the Worm Moon, the Sap Moon, the Sugar Moon and the Lenten Moon, just to name a few.

The other full supermoons this year will fall on April 8 and May 7. March’s will be the second closest to the earth and April’s supermoon will be the closest.

A full or new moon is considered a supermoon if it coincides closely with perigee, which is the point at which the moon is closest to the Earth in its elliptical orbit. If the moon comes within 224,865 miles (distance measured from the center of the earth to the center of the moon) from Earth at the time of full moon or new moon, it’s a supermoon. The Monday night full moon will be 222,081 miles away from Earth.

Night sky viewing won’t be great Monday night, but we’ll see some clearer nights later this week. Venus is very bright this time of year and you can clearly see it in the west after dark. If your eyesight is good enough, you may even be able to see it while it’s light outside.

The Big Dipper will be high in the northeast after dark, and it’s slowly beginning to tip to the left. If you look to the left of the Big Dipper, you’ll be able to see the star Polaris (also known as the North Star). You may also be able to see the Little Dipper, though it will be faint.

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2020-03-09 21:41:00Z
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