Officially, the time for the current Supermoom was at 8:52 EST this past morning. However, this phase is a very gradual process; and this Full Beaver Moon will be just as bright early this evening, and more bright than it was 24 hours earlier. In other words, pragmatically tonight is the better night to Supermoon gaze; and appropriately on a Monday... "Moon's Day." The Moon has been extremely bright for a number of nights now, and will continue to be for a number of night's more.
'When to watch the closest supermoonWhen to watch the closest supermoon' (Bruce McClure - EarthSky.org - November 13, 2016)
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I've been trying to let people know that the full Moon phase of this
supermoon event is a bit deceptive because the Moon is already and has
been visibly larger for quite a while now and the full Moon phase is
just one day out of this long slow close orbit. People are getting the
mistaken impression that the Moon will be somehow extra large just on
that one night and that's sad because they could have been enjoying the
visibly larger view all along as I have been. I was looking at the Moon
last night and the night before that and the night before that...
because I've been aware that the Moon's close orbit has been going on
for over a week and will continue for quite a while after the full Moon
phase as well.
Unfortunately the way this event has been
advertised to the public has focused their attention on just one
particular day. That's sort of like calling just one day "Summer" when
the Earth is exactly in the middle of that season or calling one
particular minute of the day "high tide"... it doesn't work that way.
These things all gradually come and go over long periods of time.
So
wherever you are right now, if you can see the Moon from where you are,
enjoy it because you are seeing the supermoon right now and that will
also be true tomorrow and the day after that. There's no need for you to
stand outside looking at your watch waiting for that exact moment, that
moment is now.
-- Ron Cole, EarthSky.org
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