Pink Supermoon a Spectacle that Does Not Disappoint

Watching April's pink supermoon develop before its zenith was impressive.  Viewing the pink supermoon at its fullest around 11:32 p.m. on Monday, April 26, 2021, did not disappoint.

My first glimpse of the moon, after leaving the indoors and stepping into the dark outside, was seeing it hang in the sky over a nearby streetlamp.  Surprisingly, both illuminated objects looked almost equally bright to my eyes.  

To understand this impression, walk under a Westwood streetlamp at around 11:20 p.m. at night and look directly up into the lit LED bulb.  This will give you a sense of approximately how bright the supermoon appeared to me.  Looking directly into an LED bulb is something I try not to do.  It tends to give me the feeling that I will temporarily blind myself!  I had a similar feeling -- although not quite the same-- when looking at Monday night's supermoon. 

The night sky was cloudless and clear as the day had been.  It should have been a perfect night for stargazing.  But the stars seemed dim and of little note, perhaps due to the brilliance of their celestial neighbor.

What's behind this impressive showing?  Compared to when the moon is at its farthest distance from the Earth in its orbit, a supermoon (which is a full moon that is at the closest point of its orbit to the Earth), will appear about 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter.

Residents who missed seeing the pink supermoon can note that they have one more chance this year.  There will be a flower supermoon on May 26, 2021, termed as such for the flowers that bloom in May.

To view additional photos that document the development of the April pink supermoon, see Westwood Minute articles Preview of Supermoon Tonight and Supermoon Arises over Westwood.

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