The moon will seem slightly larger and more brilliant on Monday evening during what is known as a manna.
The October Supermoon is the first of three of this year. It happens When a full moon is closer to the earth on its orbit. This makes the moon 14% larger and 30% brighter than the slightest moon of the year, according to NASA. The subtle difference occurs several times a year, sometimes coinciding with other astronomical events such as lunar eclipses.
“It is not really very unusual,” said Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer of the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
Anyone in the world can see a supermoon without special equipment, if the sky is clear. But the difference can be difficult to discern, especially if people have not observed the regular moon on the nights preceding.
“If you go out and look at the moon when it is very high in the sky, there is nothing relative to give you an idea of its appearance,” said Pitts.
In the last vision, the moon will increase to less than 224,600 miles of earth. The nearest supermoon is scheduled for November, followed by another in December.
The glasses continued in 2026 with two lunar eclipses: a total eclipse in a large part of North America, Asia and Australia in March, and partial in August through the Americas, Africa and Europe.
Why does the moon seem larger and brighter during a supermoon?
Like the orbit of the earth around the sun, the orbit of the moon around the earth is elliptical or in the shape of an oval. This means that it is positioned at different distances from the planet depending on the time of the month. The distances vary from around 226,000 miles and 251,000 miles, according to NASA.
When the moon oscillates around one of these narrower distances along its orbit path, and there is also a full moon, it becomes a supermoon. The proximity of the earth can reveal the larger moon for the Skywatchers on the ground. Sun light reflecting on the moon may also seem brighter, says NASA.
Supermoons only occur three or four times a year, because the proximity of the moon with the earth rarely coincides with the monthly moons. They are not identical either. Astronomers generally consider a full moon to be “super” if the position of the moon in orbit is at least 90% of the distance from the point furthest to the earth from the ellipse to its closest. The nearest absolute point is called the perigee.
