The full moon on 1 August is a supermoon, so don’t miss it!
The moon’s elliptical orbit around Earth causes it to be closer or further away at times. A supermoon occurs when a full moon happens near the moon’s closest point to Earth.
On 1 August, the moon will be 222,158 miles (357,530 km) away from Earth. This is the first of the two supermoons in August and the second of this year’s four supermoons. The previous one was on 2-3 July at a distance of 224,895 miles (361,934 km). The third and closest full moon will be on 30 August, 222,043 miles (357,344 km) away. As it is the second full moon in the same month, it is also known as a blue moon, although there is some debate about the definition of a blue moon in astronomical circles. The last of the four supermoons will occur on 28-29 September, 224,658 miles (361,552 km) away. Supermoons appear about 14% larger and up to 30% brighter than regular full moons, but most people may not notice a significant difference.
