By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN, AP Science Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — The last supermoon of the year will shine soon in December skies.
The moon’s orbit around the Earth isn’t a perfect circle so it gets nearer and farther as it swings around. When a full moon is closer to Earth in its orbit, a so-called supermoon happens. It makes the moon look up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the faintest moon of the year, according to NASA.
Supermoons happen a few times a year in clusters, taking advantage of the sweet spot in the moon’s elliptical orbit, and Thursday night’s event is the last of three in a row in 2025.
The supermoon can be glimpsed in clear night skies without any special equipment. But it can be tough to discern the subtle change with the naked eye.
Whether a supermoon or not, the moon also appears bigger when it’s close to the horizon because of what’s called the moon illusion. It’s a strange visual trick that experts can’t yet explain.
“When you have a supermoon, that effect is just slightly more striking,” said astronomer William Alston with the University of Hertfordshire.
Tides could be slightly higher during a supermoon because the moon is closer to Earth, but again, the difference isn’t very noticeable.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Related Posts:
- How to watch the last supermoon of the year News By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN, AP Science Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The last supermoon of the year will shine soon in December skies. The moon’s orbit around the Earth isn’t a perfect circle so it gets nearer and farther as it swings around. When a full moon is closer to Earth…
- How to Watch WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2025 Live Online Uncategorized The WWE goes to “America’s Finest City” for Survivor Series: WarGames 2025. This year’s pro wrestling event features four matchups, including a WWE Intercontinental Championship and WWE Women’s World Championship title bouts, on Saturday, Nov. 29. The event features the Men’s WarGames and Women’s WarGames matches, while it also has…
- 5 Must-Watch Shows Coming to Netflix in December 2025 Entertainment <p id="par-1_24">Netflix is making the end of the year merry for subscribers. The streamer is closing out 2025 with a list of exciting new releases. </p> <p id="par-2_55">Top of the list are the <a href="https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/david-harbour-low-profile-stranger-things-season-5-premiere.html/">final four episodes of <em>Stranger Things</em></a><em>, </em>releasing on December 25 and December 31. But that’s not the…
- TV legend David Suchet reveals when he’ll finally watch Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot Entertainment Sir David Suchet previously said he wanted to have ‘no opinion’ of Sir Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot (Picture: REX) Key Points summary__ai-icon Sir David Suchet, known for playing Poirot, has not watched Kenneth Branagh’s portrayal and doesn’t plan to anytime soon The actor reflects on his unexpected success as the…
- The Ashes 2025/26: Dates, UK times, team news and how to watch Australia v England Sports Ben Stokes is under pressure after a nightmare first Test for England (Picture: Getty Images) England are looking to recover from a disastrous start to the Ashes when they begin the second Test against Australia in Brisbane this week. The first Test in Perth was a chaotic affair which only…
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)