The first supermoon of the year is due to shine over Bristol on Sunday - but will the clouds part to give people in and around the city a good view?
It’s been a decent few weeks for space-based events, with a meteor flying over before crash landing in Gloucestershire, and reports of another meteor over Somerset at the weekend.
And on Sunday, March 28, the moon will look bigger than ever for the so-called Super Worm Moon the first supermoon since May 2020.
It will look bigger than normal because it is a full moon at the same time as its closest approach to Earth (the moon isn't actually swelling in size).
Sadly, the Met Office is forecasting cloud – which is 7.48pm on Sunday (about 10 minutes after sunset).
Of course, weather forecasts can shift and we’ll update this story as we get closer to Supermoon Day.
Lockdown restrictions, of course, remain in place and anyone looking to go somewhere to see the moon needs to be aware of travel and gathering restrictions.
NASA explains why this first supermoon of the year is so named: “The full Moon in March is known by many names: the Worm Moon, Sap Moon, Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sugar Moon, and Lenten Moon.
“According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the native tribes of what is now the northern and eastern US named this the Worm Moon after the earthworm casts that appear as the ground thaws.
“The more northern tribes knew this as the Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signalled the end of winter.
“Other northern names are the Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night, or the Sap Moon as this is the time for tapping maple trees. Europeans called this the Lenten Moon."
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Other Moon events in 2021
April 27 (4.31am) Pink Moon (supermoon)
May 26 (12.13pm) Flower Moon
June 24 (7.39pm) Strawberry Moon
July 24 (3.36am) Buck Moon
August 22 (1.01pm) Sturgeon Moon
September 22 (12.54am) Full Corn/Harvest Moon
October 20 (3.56pm) Hunter's Moon
November 19 (8.57am) Beaver Moon
December 19 (4.35am) Cold Moon
The term supermoon was first used by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 who defined it as a full moon - and also a new moon - that occurs when the moon is at or near (within 90 per cent of) its closest approach to Earth in its orbit.
And because the moon is nearer the Earth, its gravitational pull is stronger and this makes the tides higher.
Some have suggested the gravitational pull of a supermoon is an extra 20-30 per cent - or even as much as 50 per cent higher. It means higher tides and bigger waves.
