Supermoons
Every full moon closer than 361,885 km from 2025 through 2029 — 12 of them — with the distance of each, and the rule used to draw the line.
Next supermoon
November 24, 2026 · 14:53 UTC
- Distance
- 360,793 km
- In miles
- 224,186 mi
- Closer than average by
- 23,607 km
The list
03:47 UTC361,492 km
224,621 mi
13:19 UTC357,035 km
221,851 mi
23:14 UTC357,262 km
221,992 mi
14:53 UTC360,793 km
224,186 mi
01:28 UTC356,782 km
221,694 mi
12:17 UTC357,666 km
222,243 mi
04:02 UTC360,272 km
223,863 mi
15:03 UTC · closest full moon in this range356,757 km
221,678 mi
01:05 UTC358,129 km
222,531 mi
17:10 UTC359,683 km
223,497 mi
02:26 UTC356,766 km
221,684 mi
10:36 UTC358,481 km
222,750 mi
Distances are centre-to-centre at the instant of full moon, computed with the same series as the moon phases.
Where the line is drawn, and why it's arbitrary
"Supermoon" is not an astronomical term. It was coined in 1979 by an astrologer, and astronomers adopted it only because everyone else already had. There is no committee that decides which full moons qualify.
This page uses 361,885 km — the threshold Fred Espenak used, corresponding to the moon being within about 90% of its closest approach. Under that rule, 12 of the 62 full moons in this range qualify. Another site drawing the line at a round 360,000 km, or requiring the full moon to fall within a day of perigee, will publish a shorter list. Neither is more correct; the useful thing is knowing which rule produced the list you are reading, so the distance of every full moon is given above rather than just the verdict.
And the other end: the micromoon
The far side of the same ellipse gets far less attention. The most distant full moon in this range is October 22, 2029 at 406,256 km — about 49,499 km further away than the closest one on February 10, 2028. That is the real span behind the 14%-wider figure, and comparing photographs of those two nights is the only way most people will ever notice it.
What counts as a supermoon?
There is no official definition — "supermoon" is not an astronomical term. The common rule, and the one used here, is a full moon closer than 361,885 km, which is roughly the nearest 10% of the moon's range. A source drawing the line somewhere else will list a different set of dates, and neither is wrong.
How much bigger does it actually look?
At its closest the moon is about 356,757 km away; at its farthest, about 406,256 km. That is a difference of roughly 14% in apparent width and 30% in brightness between the extremes. Side by side in a photograph it is obvious. Looking up on one night with nothing to compare against, most people cannot tell.
Why does the distance change at all?
The moon's orbit is an ellipse, not a circle, so it has a near point (perigee) and a far point (apogee) every month. A supermoon is simply a full moon that happens to land near the near point.
Is the moon bigger when it's near the horizon?
No — that is the moon illusion, and it is entirely in your head. Measure it and the disc is the same size overhead as it is rising. Photograph both and they match.
Does a supermoon affect the tides?
Slightly. A closer moon pulls a little harder, so the tidal range around a supermoon is larger than usual — perigean spring tides. The effect is real but modest, and coastal flooding blamed on it usually needs weather as well. Predicted heights for US stations are on the tide pages.
More moon
Moon phase today · Moon calendar · Full moon calendar · Blue moons · Lunar eclipses
How the distance is worked out, and why the series used here is longer than the usual one: how the moon phase is calculated.