Overview

• The October full moon was visible across Brazil on Tuesday night, October 7, marking the year’s first supermoon.
• On Wednesday, October 8, lunar phase briefings reported the Moon at or near 100% visibility.
• The Moon reached full phase on October 6 just hours before its closest approach, at roughly 361,458 km from Earth, appearing about 6.6% larger and 14% brighter than average.
• NASA describes a supermoon as a full moon that looks brighter and larger due to its proximity to Earth.
• The popular term, coined in 1979, is often applied when a full moon is at least 90% of the way to perigee, with typical distances near 363,300 km at perigee and 405,500 km at apogee; additional supermoons are forecast for November 5 and December 4.