November's Supermoon Is the Closest of the Year

The moon will look slightly bigger and brighter Wednesday night during the closest supermoon of the year. The moon's orbit around the Earth isn't a perfect circle, so it gets nearer and farther as it swings around. A so-called supermoon happens when a full moon is closer to Earth in its orbit. That makes the moon look up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the faintest moon of the year, according to NASA. November's supermoon is the second of three supermoons this year and also the closest: The moon will come within just under 222,000 miles of Earth, reports the AP. The November full moon is also known as the Beaver Moon, notes National Geographic, because beavers traditionally were building their winter lodges at this time of year.

Tides may be slightly higher during a supermoon because the moon is closer to Earth, said astronomer Lawrence Wasserman with Lowell Observatory. But the difference isn't very noticeable. No special equipment is needed to view the supermoon if clear skies permit. But the change in the moon's size can be tough to discern with the naked eye. "The difference is most obvious as a comparison between other images or observations," said Shannon Schmoll, director of Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University, in an email. Supermoons happen a few times a year. One in October made the moon look somewhat larger, and another in December will be the last of the year.