​Full Pink Supermoon: When And How To See It Over Westford

WESTFORD, MA — A full pink supermoon will rise over Westford Monday night, and the weather should be perfect to view the bright glowing orb in the sky.

The National Weather Service is forecasting mostly clear skies for Monday evening when the moon rises around 9 p.m. The moon will be closest to Earth at around 11:30 p.m. So if you can stay up that late, head out for a glimpse then. Though, according to NASA the moon will look big and bright from Sunday night through Wednesday morning.

• Related: 2021 Guide To Meteor Showers, Supermoons And More

So what's a supermoon?

The term was coined pre-internet in 1979 by astrologer Richard Nolle to describe new and full moons that happen when the orb is within 90 percent of perigee — at its closest approach to Earth in the elliptical orbit.

The closeness to Earth — a mere 224,000 miles —makes the moon appear about 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than when the moon is at its farthest point from our planet, called apogee, which is about 251,000 miles.

But the not-so-secret secret? Supermoons are not really bigger and brighter than regular full moons, and the supermoon effect is mostly an illusion, or trick of the eye. That's prompted plenty of debate on whether they are even a real thing.

The "supermoon" term has only recently caught on in the digital age. Depending on how Nolle’s definition is interpreted, there are between two and four consecutive supermoons a year.

A sprinkling of publications last month caused some confusion when they said the string of consecutive supermoons would begin in March. But NASA says only the full moons in April through June qualify under Nolle’s definition.

The April 26 full moon is the first of three consecutive supermoons, according to NASA. The full moons on May 26 and June 24 are also thus classified.

And speaking of confusion: Most commercial calendars based on Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT, show the full moon happening on Tuesday, April. 27, but don't be fooled if you live here, says NASA. Monday, April 27 is the night.

What's in a name

The April full moon is known by other names, but most often is referred to as the “full pink moon.”

Why?

April’s full moon is called the full pink moon after the color of creeping pink phlox that blooms this time of year.

Another reason to look up

While you're checking out the moon, the Eta Aquariids meteor shower runs from April 27 to May 28, peaking May 4-6 with anywhere from 10 to 20 meteors an hour. The Eta Aquariid meteors are swift and produce a high percentage of persistent trains.