Beginning May 7, earth’s moon will enter its third and final supermoon phase of the year with what’s known as a “Super Flower Moon.” It’ll be at its biggest and fullest at around 6:45 AM ET on May 7, according to NASA.
A “supermoon” is the term for when the moon comes closest to earth, making it bigger and brighter than usual. So that means, as long as there’s no inclement weather in your area, you should be in for quite a sight. The “flower moon” name comes from the Algonquin tribe, according to the Farmer’s Alamanac, who named it for the May blooms.
In the event that your night sky is a little cloudy, the Virtual Telescope Project will have a livestream of the supermoon when it passes over Rome on May 7 at 18:30 Coordinated Universal Time.
One more piece of lunar trivia. Most years have twelve full moons — one every month of the year. The rare occasion of two full moons in one month is called a “blue moon,” and there will be one this year. A full moon will appear on October 1 and October 31 — meaning Halloween actually lands “once in a blue moon” this year. Start planning your costume accordingly — assuming lockdown will be lifted by then.
