March supermoon to light up the skies over B.C. tonight

It鈥檚 bright, it鈥檚 beautiful, and it鈥檚 about 20,000 kilometres closer to Earth than normal.

The supermoon isn鈥檛 the only spectacle lighting up the night鈥檚 sky Monday night when the orbits of both Venus and the moon make them appear brighter and bolder than most other nights.

A supermoon occurs when the moon is closer to Earth in its ongoing orbit, explains University of Victoria astronomer Karun Thanjavur.

鈥淭he supermoon is a full moon like any other,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he only other thing is that the moon is at its closest distance to the earth.鈥�

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On average, the moon is about 380,000 km from Earth, but as Thanjavur explains, the moon doesn鈥檛 orbit in a perfect circle, and because of that can fluctuate 20,000 kilometres or so.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like an elliptical,鈥� he said, adding that another supermoon is coming in April.

That proximity means a brighter, more detailed moon for those viewing it from Earth.

鈥淭he full moon, to begin with, is quite bright,鈥� Thanjavur said. 鈥淭he skies are nice and clear these days [and] the air is nice and stable.

鈥淭o have such a nice, bright full moon in March makes it very spectacular.鈥�

Thanjavur said special equipment isn鈥檛 necessary to take in the full effect.

鈥淎ll the craters and the darker patches 鈥� those are all very nice and clear,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is visually very appealing to see this big beautiful orb in the sky.鈥�

But the supermoon isn鈥檛 the only phenomenon on display. Look west towards the setting sun and catch a glimpse of Venus, which is furthest away from the sun in its orbit 鈥� giving the human eye a chance to witness its shimmering brilliance.

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鈥淰enus goes around the sun, sometimes it lines up and other times it appears,鈥� Thanjavur said. 鈥淩ight now, it is at its best because its farthest.鈥�

Venus, commonly called 鈥榯he evening star,鈥� can be viewed with a telescope, revealing its shadowy or sun-filled phases, but it isn鈥檛 hard to find with the naked eye either.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the brightest object in the sky,鈥� Thanjavur said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 mistake such a bright object.鈥�