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The last supermoon of 2020 will rise this week

It will peak at 6:45 a.m. Thursday but will appear full through Friday.
 
A kayaker along with a couple of boaters on Tampa Bay near Bay Vista Park in  St. Petersburg take in the celestial light show provided by the "Pink Supermoon" on Tuesday evening, March 7, 2020. Tuesday's Supermoon was the closest that the moon will appear from earth in 2020 with a distance of approximately
221,772 miles (356,907 kilometers) away, according to Space.com. The Pink Moon is named for the pink wildflowerÊPhlox subulata or more commonly known as the wild ground phlox, the creeping phlox, moss phlox and the herb moss pink which blossoms in eastern North America in the early springtime.The moon is also known as the "Paschal Moon" which helps set the date for Easter. The first Sunday after the Paschal Moon is Easter, which is why Easter falls on April 12 this year.
A kayaker along with a couple of boaters on Tampa Bay near Bay Vista Park in St. Petersburg take in the celestial light show provided by the "Pink Supermoon" on Tuesday evening, March 7, 2020. Tuesday's Supermoon was the closest that the moon will appear from earth in 2020 with a distance of approximately 221,772 miles (356,907 kilometers) away, according to Space.com. The Pink Moon is named for the pink wildflowerÊPhlox subulata or more commonly known as the wild ground phlox, the creeping phlox, moss phlox and the herb moss pink which blossoms in eastern North America in the early springtime.The moon is also known as the "Paschal Moon" which helps set the date for Easter. The first Sunday after the Paschal Moon is Easter, which is why Easter falls on April 12 this year. [ BOYZELL HOSEY | Times ]
Published May 5, 2020

The universe delivers another show this week when the last supermoon of the year appears.

According to NASA.com, it’s the last in a series of four supermoons this year, after February’s Snow Moon, March’s Worm Moon and April’s Pink Moon. It is known as the Flower Moon, Corn Planting Moon and the MiIk Moon. It will peak early Thursday morning, but will appear full from Tuesday night through Friday night.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac uses the names of the moon from the Algonquin, a Native American tribe from the northeastern section of North America.

The Algonquian called the full moon in May and the second full moon of spring the Flower Moon because of the abundance of flowers that grew during the month.

The May full moon marked a time of fertility and the names Corn Planting Moon and MiIk Moon reflect that based on different communities.

According to NASA, the term “supermoon” was coined by the astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 and “refers to either a new or full Moon that occurs within 90% of perigee, its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit.”

This means that in a typical year there can be three or four full or new supermoons in a row, like the ones that happened from February through May.

Astronomers regard the moon as full when the moon is exactly 180 degrees opposite the sun in ecliptic longitude, according to earsthsky.org.

More celestial events will happen during this supermoon. On Thursday, at the time morning twilight begins (6:19 a.m. locally), the three planets Jupiter, Saturn and Mars will appear in the southeastern sky.

On Thursday evening, as twilight ends (8:33 p.m.) Venus, the brightest of the planets, will appear as the “Evening Star,” according to NASA.