A SUPERMOON will fill the skies with bright moonlight tonight in a stunning stargazing spectacle.
Today’s full Moon marks the first of three so-called supermoons in 2026 – where our lunar neighbour appears bigger than usual.
WHAT IS A SUPERMOON?
A supermoon is a special type of full Moon event where it looms especially large in the sky.
The Moon itself isn’t growing – it’s just closer to Earth.
“The distance between the Moon and the Earth varies, because the Earth is not right at the centre of the Moon’s orbit and the Moon’s orbit is not a circle (it’s an ellipse),” the Royal Greenwich Observatory explained.
“The moment when the Moon is closest to the Earth is called a lunar perigee. When the Moon is furthest away it is known as a lunar apogee.”
VECNA APPROVED
Bizarre formation near Jupiter looks a lot like Stranger Things’ Mind Flayer
HELL OFF EARTH
Hellish 2,400C ‘super Earth’ may be stuffed with GEMS with global lava ocean
If the perigee is happening close to a full Moon then that’s what astronomers call a supermoon.
The opposite effect is a micromoon, which is obviously less exciting as a visual spectacle.
In any case, a supermoon is a good opportunity to go out and stare at our closest space neighbour.
And it’s a brilliant chance for snapping some great pics of the Moon and even the lunar surface too.
SUPERMOON 2026 DATES – WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE?
This year, we’re expecting three supermoons. They’re expected to take place on:
- January 3, 2026
- November 24, 2026
- December 24, 2026
The closest of the lot will be the December 24 supermoon, which will be around 221,000 miles from Earth.
By contrast, the Moon’s average distance to Earth is 238,000 miles.
You might also hear about January’s supermoon being called a Wolf Moon.
That doesn’t actually have any scientific meaning. Moon names have been popularised by The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which serves up traditional lunar names that relate to the time of year that each full Moon appears in.
Here’s the list of 2026 Full Moon names:
- Wolf Moon – January 3
- Snow Moon – February 1
- Worm Moon – March 3
- Pink Moon – April 1
- Flower Moon – May 1
- Strawberry Moon – June 29
- Buck Moon – July 29
- Sturgeon Moon – August 27
- Corn Moon – September 26
- Hunter’s Moon – October 26
- Beaver Moon – November 24
- Cold Moon – December 24
The Wolf Moon name is meant to be linked to hungry wolves howling during the long and cold winter nights.
HOW TO SPOT AND PHOTOGRAPH A SUPERMOON
Spotting a supermoon isn’t exactly rocket science – it should be the biggest object in the night sky by a fair margin.
But there are some things you can do to help with your stargazing, or rather moongazing.
This is especially true if you’re planning to take pictures of the Moon.
Clouds will ruin the show, so check your hyper-local weather forecast to see if there are any clear moments to head outdoors.
You’ll also want as broad a view of the sky as possible with minimal light pollution.
So you’ve got two options.
One would be to get up very high, like on a hill. Or you could go somewhere very flat – so East Anglians will be having a field day, literally.
In either case, make sure you’re out in the countryside for the clearest view. Light pollution from cities can be so strong, it even affects your view of the Moon.
You’ll also want to avoid being right next to light sources like a streetlamp, as this can create glare on your phone’s camera.
Another good idea is to set up a tripod for your phone. They can be bought cheaply on Amazon – and make a huge difference.
When you zoom in deeply on a smartphone camera, small hand movements can create significant motion for the camera.
And this will make it extremely difficult to capture a sharp image with good focus on the Moon.
A tripod can totally solve this problem for you.
And in fact, if you’re using an iPhone, placing your phone on a tripod and pointing it at the night sky will trigger a sort of “night mode” where it spends a much longer time creating your pic.
Aside from phones, checking out the Moon with a pair of binoculars or even a small telescope will give you a much better view.
You can also trick your eyes for a stunning spectacle by viewing the Moon at the right time of night.
“Seeing moonrise just after sunset or moonset just before sunrise will be an impressive sight as the Moon will appear enormous compared to the surrounding landscape,” the Royal Greenwich Observatory said.
“This is due to an optical illusion. During moonrise, the Moon looks bigger than it is because our brain doesn’t understand that the sky is a dome.
“It falsely projects things near the horizon to appear larger than they actually are.”
As a final tip, it’s winter, so wrap up warm.
