Year’s first supermoon will arrive today
The full moon today will appear to be unusually big. In fact, it will be a “supermoon.”
That’s the nickname for full moons that happen when our celestial neighbor is relatively close to Earth. That distance varies because the moon follows an elliptical orbit. When it’s close and full, it appears bigger and brighter than normal, although the difference can be hard to detect.
If you see today’s moon close to the horizon, it may seem huge, but that’s just an illusion caused by its position in the sky.
Full moons on Aug. 10 and Sept. 9 also will be supermoons.
This story was originally published July 12, 2014 at 7:25 AM with the headline "Year’s first supermoon will arrive today."