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Thursday, October 29, 2026Oct 29

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Heads up! Supermoon is here

The moon rises Saturday, July 12, 2014 over metropolitan Manila in the Philippines in one of the three "Supermoon" occurrences for this year. The phenomenon occurs when the moon is near the horizon and appears larger and brighter than other full moons. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
The moon rises Saturday, July 12, 2014 over metropolitan Manila in the Philippines in one of the three "Supermoon" occurrences for this year. The phenomenon occurs when the moon is near the horizon and appears larger and brighter than other full moons. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) The moon rises Saturday, July 12, 2014 over metropolitan Manila in the Philippines in one of the three "Supermoon" occurrences for this year. The phenomenon occurs when the moon is near the horizon and appears larger and brighter than other full moons. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Look! Up in the sky! It’s supermoon!

Because our celestial neighbor is relatively close to Earth, these full moons will appear to be unusually large. That distance varies because the moon follows an elliptical orbit. When it’s close and full, it appears bigger and brighter than normal, although the difference can be hard to detect.

The full moon Saturday may seem huge, but it’s just an illusion caused by its position in the sky.

Two other supermoons will come later this summer on Aug. 10 and Sept. 9.

Check out these supermoons from around the world: