The Moon will be at its closest point to Earth tonight, appearing much larger than usual.
The Moon will be at its closest point to Earth tonight, appearing much larger than usual. The phenomenon is known as a supermoon and occurs when the Moon is in perigee, or its closest orbit to Earth. It’s not actually the size of the Moon that changes, but our perception of it. This is because when the Moon is closer to Earth it appears bigger in our sky than it does when it’s further away.
While tonight’s supermoon won’t be as big as last year’s – which was 14% bigger and 30% brighter – it will still appear about 7% bigger and 16% brighter than an average full moon. The last time a supermoon was this close was in 1948.
What causes a supermoon?
A supermoon occurs when the moon reaches perigee during its elliptical orbit around Earth. The moon takes an elliptical path around our planet because of gravitational pulls from both Earth and the Sun. When the moon gets closer to us, its perceived size increases, making it appear larger and brighter than usual.
