Why is full moon closer to earth?

A supermoon happens when the full moon coincides with the moon's closest approach to Earth in its orbit. Supermoons make the moon appear a little brighter and closer than normal, although the difference is hard to spot with the naked eye. The last supermoon (the only one of 2017) happened on Dec. 3. read more

While this is the closest full moon to rise since Jan. 26, 1948, it is not the closest full moon approach on record. In January of 1912, the full moon was "just under 100 kilometers closer than the full moon" tonight and the supermoon of November 2034 will be even closer, Petro said. read more

Nov. 14's "supermoon," when the moon approaches closest to Earth for the year, will be the moon's closest approach in 69 years. It won't look that different from an ordinary full moon, however. read more