New York – The moon It will look a little bigger and brighter on Monday night during what is known as a superluna.
The October Superluna is the first of three this year. It occurs when a full moon is closer to the earth in its orbit. That makes the moon look up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than the most dim moon of the year, according to NASA. The subtle difference occurs sometimes a year, sometimes coinciding with other astronomical events such as lunar eclipses.
“It really is not very unusual,” said Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer of Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
Everyone can see a superluna without special equipment if the sky allows it. But the difference can be difficult to discern, especially if people have not observed the normal moon on the previous nights.
“If you leave and look at the moon when it is very high in the sky, there is nothing related to it that gives you an idea of how big it is seen,” Pitts said.
In the last visualization, the Moon will pass to about 361,459 kilometers from Earth. The nearest superluna of the year is scheduled for November, followed by another in December.
The shows continue in 2026 with two lunar eclipses: a total eclipse in much of North America, Asia and Australia in March, and a partial one in August in America, Africa and Europe.