Super Flower Moon on May 7, 2020. (Representational image: Robert Karkowski/Pixabay)

If you have missed the last month’s Super Pink Moon, you can feast your eyes on the next super moon on May 7, 2020. This month’s supermoon will be called the Super Flower Moon and this will also be the fourth and the last supermoon of the year 2020. According to NASA, the Super Flower Moon will reach peak illumination at 4.15 pm IST on May 7.

What is the Super Flower Moon?

The full moon of the month of May is known as the Flower Moon. Since this full moon will also be a supermoon, it is being called the Super Flower Moon. As per the Farmer’s Alamanac, the Full Moon of May is called Flower Moon because at this time of the year, in most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere. It is also known as Full Corn Planting Moon as well as the Milk Moon.

What is a supermoon?

The term “supermoon” was coined by the astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. It refers to either a new or full moon that occurs within 90 per cent of perigee— its closest approach to Earth.

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In simple words, when the Full Moon or the New Moon occurs during the Moon’s closest approach to the Earth, it is called a Super Moon.

The closest approach is called the perigee and it occurs because of the Moon’s elliptical orbit around the Earth where one side is closer to the planet than the other. As a result, the distance between the Moon and Earth varies throughout the months.

Other supermoons

As already mentioned, the Super Flower Moon is the last supermoon of the year 2020. The next supermoon will occur in 2021 in the month of April. Therefore, it will be called the Super Pink Moon like the last month’s supermoon.

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Also, next year will see only two supermoons. The first one will occur on April 27, 2021, followed by another one on May 26, 2021.