The ‘largest and brightest’ supermoon of the year has come and gone, but there will soon be another one.
A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the closest point to Earth in its orbit, making the satellite an imposing image in our skies.
Friday night was a chance what’s dubbed the Beaver Moon, after the beavers that typically build dams around this time of year.
The phenomenon could be seen illuminating the sky above major landmarks like the Chrysler Building in New York, and the launchpad of SpaceX’s next-generation Starship spacecraft.
It was the fourth supermoon of 2024 – including the Sturgeon Moon in August, Harvest Moon in September and October’s Hunter’s Moon.
But if you missed them all, don’t stress – there’ll be another one in March.
When is the next supermoon?
The next supermoon will be in our skies on March 29, 2025.
There will also be more full moons before then – including the so-called ‘Cold Moon’ on December 15, which reaches its peak at 4.02am. It just won’t seem quite as big.
What is a supermoon and full moon?
The term supermoon was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 as either a new or full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to earth.
It’s caused by the moon’s elliptical orbit – its path around the earth isn’t a perfect circle, meaning it is sometimes closer to the planet than at other times in its cycle.
A full moon is simply when the entire moon is illuminated by the sun, making it appear like it’s glowing to us.
And when the moon is at its closest to earth, that’s when we see a ‘supermoon’ where it can appear about 10% larger in size.
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