Prepare for the chance to check out a supermoon as it lights up the Philippine skies on April 27, Tuesday.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), in its astronomical diary this month, said the full moon on Tuesday is considered a "supermoon" with a "perigee distance of 357,378 kilometers away from Earth."
During its peak at around 11:22 p.m. to 11:32 p.m., the moon may appear bigger and brighter than a regular full moon, thus the term "supermoon."
But sometimes, a 30 percent difference in brightness can easily be masked by clouds or the competing glare of urban lights.
PAGASA explained that perigee is "the closest that the moon comes to the Earth in its elliptic orbit, resulting in a slightly larger-than-usual apparent size of the lunar disk as viewed from Earth."
It pointed out, however, that the term supermoon, which was popularized by astrologer Richard Nolle, "has no precise astronomical definition."
Moreover, it explained that the "real association of the Moon with both oceanic and crustal tides has led to claims that the supermoon phenomenon may be associated with an increased risk of events like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, but no such link has been found."