Final supermoon of 2020 rises on Thursday
May's full "flower" Moon occurs at a point in its orbit when it is closer to Earth earning it "super" status. This wont occur again for 9 months.
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The (super)moon reaches full phase Thursday May 7 at 6:45 am EDT. It will be nearly full as it rises around sunset Wednesday becoming more visible as clouds decrease after sunset.
May's full moon is known as the flower moon, for the wildflowers that tend to bloom around this time. Other names include the corn planting moon, and milk moon.
Thursday should provide an even better view of the big bright supermoon with clear skies forecasted around sunset. The best time to look is shortly after moonrise when the Moon appears at its largest.
The Moon was at perigee, or the closest point in its orbit around Earth on Tuesday, shortly after 6 pm. That's close enough to make May's full moon a supermoon.
May's supermoon is the the last of four consecutive supermoons and the final of 2020. The next supermoon will occur until March 28, 2021.
You might have noticed that sunset and moonrise happen around the same time. This is the geometry of the Sun-Earth-Moon system put on display each month.
The Moon is at its fullest when it is directly opposite the Sun. This happens at an instant in time. The Moon immediately gets less full as less and less sunlight directly hits its surface from our vantage point here on Earth.
Full moons also rise opposite (180° degrees) the setting sun. Thursday, the Sun will set at 292° azimuth (west northwest) a the moon will rise about 30 minutes later at 111° (east southeast), a difference of 181° degrees.
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