The Supermoon occurs when the Moon is full at the same time as her orbit is closest to the Earth.

The combination of a full Moon and the close approach will mean that the Moon will appear bigger and brighter than usual. Supermoons occur roughly every 13 months.

The Supermoon may look 7% larger than our usual full Moon and can be about 16% brighter. The Supermoon is especially bigger and brighter in the winter* when the Earth is closer to the Sun and the gravitational pull of the Sun pulls the Moon closer to Earth. Thus, the winter Supermoons look bigger and brighter than the summer ones*.

The opposite of the Supermoon is the Micromoon or Minimoon – when the Moon is at her furthest point from the Earth – she may look 7% smaller than the usual full Moon.

Supermoon’s also bring high tides over the few days arround the Full Moon.

* northern hemisphere