Four back-to-back Supermoons will grace the night sky to end the year and start 2026, beginning with the Harvest full Moon this week.
The Moon will be at its fullest just before midnight on Tuesday, but in the days before and after peak illumination, the Moon will also appear full.
FILE: The full Harvest Supermoon rises behind the Empire State Building in New York City on September 17, 2024, as seen from Union City, New Jersey.
(Gary Hershorn / Getty Images)
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Monday will offer a spectacular opportunity to look up at the Moon, with the Moon rising in the east just after sunset.
The Moon will be about 224,600 miles from Earth compared to the average distance of 238,900 miles. According to NASA, this proximity will make the Moon appear about 30% brighter and 14% larger than a typical full Moon.
What is a Supermoon?
A Supermoon occurs because the Moon’s orbit of Earth is not a perfect circle but elliptical. During its 27-day orbit, the Moon reaches its closest point to Earth, known as perigee, and its farthest, known as apogee. When perigee coincides with the full Moon, we have a Supermoon. According to NASA, this term isn’t an astronomical definition but is usually used to describe a full Moon within at least 90% of its closest point in orbit to Earth.
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But wait, there’s more. The next full Moons for November and December are also Supermoons, with Nov. 5’s being the closest of the year. Then, 2026 kicks off with yet another Supermoon to ring in the New Year on Jan. 3.
FILE: The Blue Supermoon rises behind the antenna on top of One World Trade Center in New York City on August 30, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey.
(Gary Hershorn / Getty Images)
It’s not unusual for Supermoons to happen in succession this way. There are only three to four a year, and they always happen consecutively.
October’s Supermoon is expected to have an impact on the current coastal flooding occurring throughout the Southeast. Unusually high tides are partially driven by the full Moon’s gravitational pull. Tide levels will peak by midweek, just after the full Moon.
Due to the astronomical influence creating King Tides, weather alerts, including Coastal Flood Advisories and Rip Current Statements, are posted from the Carolinas through Florida.
