A Supermoon in the Sky Over the Berkshires Saturday

The Berkshires will be treated to a full moon Saturday.  Not just a full moon, but a Pink Moon or Supermoon as it is called.  A Supermoon is when the moon is closest to Earth in its orbit.  Combined that with the moon’s angle will cause it to appear to be about 14% larger and 1/3 brighter than the moon would normally appear.

The weather might hamper the visibility of the Supermoon in the Berkshires Saturday

The moon will officially be full at 2:57 p.m. Saturday however it won’t be visible until after sunset according to the Farmers Almanac.  It will be a challenge in the Berkshires with the National Weather Service calling for clouds and a chance of showers Saturday and Saturday night.

Saturday’s Full Pink Supermoon was named by Native Americans inspired by the wild ground phlox flower that spreads from the most southern tip of the United States right up into Canada according to the Farmer’s Almanac.  Other names used by Native Americans in the past also included Sprouting Grass Moon and Full Fish Moon, inspired by the time of the year salmon swim upstream to spawn.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, in a rare occurrence, there will be two “New Moons” this month, the only month this year will happen this year.  There was a New Moon on Friday, April 1^st, and will happen again on Saturday, April 30^th.  Next month there will be a Total Lunar Eclipse on Monday, May 16^th just after midnight.

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