The last Super Moon of the year set to rise on May 7 — the flower power wonder kicks off tonight

• The last Super Moon of 2020 is set to rise on Thursday, May 7, this week.
• Tonight the Moon will be just 2% away from being a full-blown Super Moon, appearing larger than average in the sky.
• The Full Moon in May is also called the ‘Flower’ Moon or the ‘Vesak’ Moon and coincides with the celebration of Buddha Purnima.

This week is your last chance to grab a view of a Super Full Moon this year. The Super ‘Flower’ Moon, set to rise on May 7, will be the last of the Super Moons we’ll see this year. Astronomers recommend catching the view right after sunset, as the Moon is rising over the horizon.

According to NASA, the Moon will visible in its full glory for a total of three days. So, even if you look up at the sky tonight — anytime after 5:51 pm IST — the waxing gibbous Moon will be a wonderful sight only 2% away from being at its largest tomorrow evening.

‘Flower’ Power Full Super Moon Moon
The May Moon gets its nickname from spring in the US since flowers are in abundance as spring kicks in. Similarly, it’s also called the Vesak Moon in India given that it comes during the harvest season, according to the Maine Farmer’s Almanac published in the 1930s. In some parts of the country, it’s also when people celebrate Buddha Purnima to commemorate the life of Gautam Buddha.

In other parts of the world, May’s Moon is also referred to as the Corn Planting Mooon and the Milk Moon.

Super Moon origins
For those unfamiliar with the concept of Super Moons, it’s when the Moon is at its closest to the Earth — its perigee. Because is it at its closest, a Super Full Moon also appears to be 16% brighter than the average Full Moon.

And it’s not just the Moon that gets brighter during a Super Moon, the hides also get higher. Scientists estimate that the perigean spring tides are around 2 inches higher than regular spring tides.

‘Super Moon’ isn’t an official astronomical term, but one coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. According to him, it is whenever the Moon is more than 90% of its approach to Earth’s orbit. However, it is not clear why chose the 90% threshold as the cut-off — which is any distance closer than 360,000 kilometres from the centre of the Earth.

This year, there have been four Super Moons that graced the sky, April’s being the largest. In the coming year, there will only be two Super Moons — one in April and followed by another in May.

Historically, the Super Moon on 14 November 2016 was the closest Super Moon that the Earth has seen since 1948.

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