The full April supermoon arrived as scheduled on the evening of Monday, April 26, 2021.

Fortunately, it was not fully overcast – even though there were enough clouds to play hide and seek.

The attached #1 (composite) photograph (going clockwise) shows the supermoon out in full-brightness and then gradually covered by the clouds – all in a span of 17 minutes – from 10:08 p.m. to 10:25 p.m. Also, see the full-sized photographs (#5 to #8) shown near the end.

The photographs were taken from the front lawn of our house on the south side of Jefferson Park – looking in a southeasterly direction.

Our Moon’s Elliptical Orbit:

Our moon follows an elliptical orbit around our earth – meaning – it is not always at the same distance like in a circle as #2 shows:

At apogee – when farthest away – the moon is nearly 252,088 miles away.

At perigee – when closest – the moon is nearly 225,623 miles away.

On average – our moon is about 238,855 miles away.

Supermoons are Bigger and Brighter:

#3 shows that the Supermoon appears 14% bigger and 30% brighter because the Supermoon is closer to Earth than the Average Full Moon. So during Supermoon – our moon is near perigee – it is 238,855 - 225,623 = 13,232 miles closer.

 

Note: Even though the supermoom is 30% brighter than a regular moon – it is really very close in brightness to a 25-watt bulb.

Pink Moon: According to the Internet, the “April Moon is only called the Pink Moon because it coincides with the early springtime blooms of phlox subulata, a “moss pink” wildflower commonly known as creeping phlox or moss phlox. April's full moon is also known as the Fish Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, and the Egg Moon.”

#4 shows a composite of April flowers along our driveway and in our backyard.

A collection of yellow flowers -- daffodils, wildflowers (name?), and dandelions;

lavender lilacs, and white rhododendrons.

Years ago we had some phlox plants – not any more – and they bloomed in July – not April.

Smokey & Gingy:

It was truly remarkable – as I was photographing the moon – a celestial object – created nearly 4.5 billion years ago – and three of us (Smokey, Gingy, --- our two outdoor cats and me) – two species of earth-bound mammals developed from earlier forms – starting about 210 million years ago – were just moon-struck.

 

#9 shows Smokey and Gingy, her son – keeping me company while I photographed the April Supermoon shortly after 10:00 p.m. on the evening of April 26.

 

They were very excited – running up and down the driveway and across Cooley Avenue to the south side of Jefferson Park. And, you can bet, their dear friend Galena, our golden retriever with a curly tail, now at the Rainbow Bridge, was also up and about in her heavenly setting.

More Supermoons: The next two moons are also going to be supermoons like the April moon: May 26 – Super Flower Moon, and June 24 – Super Strawberry Moon.

Enjoy the rest of the spring!