Pinoys may miss ‘supermoon’ tonight

MANILA, Philippines - With rains blocking the night sky, the state weather bureau said Filipinos might miss out on the biggest “supermoon” this year which will happen tonight.

Rex Guerrero of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)’s astronomical observatory yesterday said that when there is a full moon and it moves close to the earth, the phenomenon is called a supermoon because the moon would appear bigger.

Guerrero said that the supermoon happens around five to six times a year, and that the biggest supermoon for this year will take place tonight at 7:32 p.m.

Guerrero said the moon will be 49,499 kilometers from the earth this evening.

However, he said that with the presence of the southwest monsoon which has been bringing rains to parts of the country these past few days, there is a possibility that some Filipinos would not be able to get a clear look at the moon.

“Normally, the supermoon could stay at its peak for about an hour, so the public will just have to wait for the rains to stop and, from the windows of their homes, they can look up and see the moon,” Guerrero said.

Last year, the country experienced a total of five supermoons.

Guerrero also said that high tides are expected because of the full moon.