Supermoon dazzles some skywatchers, but clouds block the view in Metro Manila

No thanks to cloudy skies in many areas, including parts of Metro Manila, many Filipinos were not able to see the supermoon Sunday night.

 

The moon was partly visible starting 6:30 p.m., but covered occasionally by clouds.

 

Sunday afternoon, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration's 24-hour forecast said there will be cloudy skies over parts of the country.

 

PAGASA said scattered rain showers and thunderstorms was expected over Mindanao due to the trough of a low-pressure area in the next 24 hours.

 

"Mindanao will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms while the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening," PAGASA noted in its 5 p.m. bulletin. But in other places, the skies gave a clear, awesome view of the heavenly body closest to Earth.  

 

Astronomy website Space.com said this month's perigee is the closest of any perigee in 2012 - perigees vary by about three percent since the moon's orbit is not perfectly circular.

 

"The moon will swing in 221,802 miles (356,955 kilometers) from our planet, offering skywatchers a spectacular view of an extra-big, extra-bright moon, nicknamed a supermoon," Space.com said.

 

"The result will be a 16 percent brighter-than-average full moon accompanied by unusually high and low tides this weekend and into the new week," Space.com also said. — ELR, GMA News