Supermoons & Micromoons

A supermoon occurs when the Full or New Moon is near its closest point to Earth. A micromoon is the opposite: it occurs when the Full or New Moon is near its farthest point from Earth. Neither term has a single official astronomical definition, but both describe how the Moon's apparent size varies throughout its orbit.

How much bigger and brighter is a supermoon than a micromoon? Can a supermoon cause natural disasters? Explore these and other surprising facts in our infographic, and find out when the next Full supermoons will occur.

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