NEW YORK (AP) — The last supermoon of the year will shine soon in December skies.
The moon’s orbit around the Earth isn’t a perfect circle so it gets nearer and farther as it swings around. When a full moon is closer to Earth in its orbit, a so-called supermoon happens. It makes the moon look up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the faintest moon of the year, according to NASA.
Supermoons happen a few times a year in clusters, taking advantage of the sweet spot in the moon's elliptical orbit, and Thursday night’s event is the last of three in a row in 2025.
The supermoon can be glimpsed in clear night skies without any special equipment. But it can be tough to discern the subtle change with the naked eye.
Whether a supermoon or not, the moon also appears bigger when it's close to the horizon because of what's called the moon illusion. It's a strange visual trick that experts can't yet explain.
"When you have a supermoon, that effect is just slightly more striking,” said astronomer William Alston with the University of Hertfordshire.
Tides could be slightly higher during a supermoon because the moon is closer to Earth, but again, the difference isn’t very noticeable.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
We're excited to announce our India Community Travel in Spring 2026! Join this virtual Zoom … Read moreTravel to India Information Session (Online)
Join us for Bay Area Youth Ballet's magical holiday tradition as The Nutcracker comes to lif… Read moreThe Nutcracker Presented By Bay Area Youth Ballet
markolbert said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.