Super Moon Over Westwood

Editor's Note: The following photo and article were contributed by Westwood Patch reader Parker Harrington, who happened to catch a glimpse of the Super Moon in Westwood on Saturday night.

If you were lucky enough to be looking to the east on Saturday night as the moon rose over the horizon, you witnessed a meteorological delight known as a “Super Moon”.

Making its closest pass to Earth in 18 years, this is when the Moon is not only full, but also at it’s “perigree” position, or the spot that the Moon makes its closest pass to the Earth.

On average, the moon passes Earth at 226,000 miles, while on Saturday night it was closer to 221,000 miles. So in a nutshell, when the moon is both full and occurring when it is at its closest position to Earth, we enjoy a Super Moon: the sun, the moon, and the earth all in a straight line while the moon is at its closest path to Earth.

Moonrise in Westwood on Saturday was at 7:17 p.m., and the moon appeared pumpkin orange as it peeked over the horizon. Its size dwarfed the landscape that it shone down on trees, houses, and other architectural features between the viewer and the moon appeared to be as small as a miniature doll house.

Quickly rising in the east, the moon rapidly changed to reddish-yellow, to bright yellow, to its more typical shining white. By 8 p.m., the moon was high in the sky, and its size indistinguishable from any other night when it is full.

Although some have speculated that Super Moons contribute to global disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis, scientists say that the only effect on Earth is a marginal increase in the high tide level. So next time the Super Moon is around, don’t be afraid. Grab your camera, some hot chocolate and wait patiently as the glorious site rises before your eyes. Don’t blink, because it will be gone as quick as it came.

Mark your calendar for November 14, 2016 for the next Super Moon. See you then!