The final supermoon of 2024-- and the last we'll see for nearly a year -- will rise this week, but when should you look up?
The upcoming supermoon will be the fourth and final one of the year, looking bigger and brighter than usual as it comes within about 225,000 miles of Earth.
And this month's supermoon will be last for quite some time as the next one won't rise until fall of 2025.
When will the next supermoon rise in the sky?
The Beaver Moon comes within about 225,000 miles of Earth on Thursday. It won't reach its full lunar phase until Friday, however.
The full moon phase begins at 3:28 p.m. CST and will officially rise starting at 4:05 p.m. CST in the Chicago area, according to Time and Date. The moon will reach its peak height in the sky over the Chicago area at 11:51 p.m. CST. Those looking to see it at that peak, will want to look to the south.
NASA reported the moon "will appear full for about three days around this time, from a few hours before sunrise on Thursday morning to a few hours before sunrise on Sunday morning."
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The supermoon rises after the peak of the Taurid meteor shower and before the Leonids are most active.
What is a supermoon?
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According to NASA, a supermoon occurs when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach distance to Earth. That distance is approximately 221,938 miles, according to the agency.
A supermoon obviously isn’t bigger, but it can appear that way, although scientists say the difference can be barely perceptible. It’s easier to detect the change in brightness, experts say — a supermoon can be 30% brighter than average.
According to NASA, supermoons always appear consecutively, and there are typically three-to-four per year.
How do other supermoons compare?
This year features a quartet of supermoons.
The one in August was 224,917 miles away. September’s was 222,131 miles away. A partial lunar eclipse also unfolded that night, visible in much of the Americas, Africa and Europe as Earth’s shadow fell on the moon, resembling a small bite.
October’s supermoon was the year’s closest at 222,055 miles from Earth. This month’s supermoon will make its closest approach on Thursday with the full lunar phase the next day.
When is the next supermoon?
According to NASA, this month’s supermoon will be the last one to occur at a full moon until October 2025, with nearly 11 months elapsing without a supermoon being visible in the night sky.
There will be four straight supermoons between October 2025 and January 2026, according to the agency.
