The Closest and Brightest SuperMoon in the 21st Century

A supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach the Moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in the largest apparent size of the lunar disk as seen from Earth. The technical name is the perigee-syzygy of the Earth–Moon–Sun system.

   Watching the skies on November 14, I saw the big and bright supermoon billed as a “super-dupermoon” or an “extra-supermoon.”

   This Supermoons will be the nearest that a full moon has come to Earth since January 26, 1948. The full moon could appear close again until November 25, 2034 whether I'll be there or gone. 

   The term supermoon refers to a full moon that occurs when our planet’s natural satellite is at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit. Astronomers call that point perigee, and so “perigee moon” is another term for supermoon. The point at which the moon is most distant from Earth in its orbit is known as apogee.

   A supermoon may appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than an apogee full moon, according to NASA. The effect is most pronounced when the moon is viewed near the horizon.

   This supermoon is one of three to occur during the last tree months of 2016. There was a supermoon on Oct. 16, and there will be another on Dec. 14. 

Supermoon vs. Full Moons
This image by Bill Hood compares the size of the supermoon with the other full moons from 2016. Hood shot the moon photos with a Nikon D750 camera and Nikon 200-500mm lens.

Credit: Bill Hood

Waterways

Floating Market in Thailand

Waterways are supposed to be free of barriers to navigation such as waterfalls and rapids, have a way around them such as canal locks, boat lifts, etc. also any navigable body of water. A shipping route consists of one or several waterways. Waterways can include rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and canals.

Waterways are used in many ways,   in other countries; waterways are used for irrigation, transportation, floating market, hydroelectric power, water parks  and many others.

Omihachiman City river boat

Kashmir waterway

In a city where we are, a waterway is clogged because of piled-up garbage that blocks the natural drainage inside the mountain of City Camp Lagoon during heavy and continuous rains. The improper disposal of garbage may have caused the flooding in the area.

Many people have expressed surprise that a plateau like Baguio City could be flooded in times of prolonged rains. The bowl-shaped City Camp Barangay could be an example when flooding occurs in the city due to clogged drainage tunnels. 

Causes of the waterway pollution

There are three main types of the waterway pollution

• litter, such as cigarettes butts, cans, paper or plastic bags
• chemical pollution, such as detergents, oil or fertilizers
• natural pollution, such as leaves, garden clippings or animal droppings.

These types of pollution end up in our waterways as sediment, sludge and solids.

It is recommended that the ecological solid waste management program should be implemented driven with political will.