Tonight is the October full moon, aka the Harvest Moon, which also happens to be a supermoon.
What is a supermoon?
[From Google:] A supermoon is a full moon that coincides with the moon’s perigee, its closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, making it appear slightly larger and brighter than a typical full moon. While not an official term, it’s used when the full moon occurs within 90% of its perigee distance from Earth.
What makes it “super”?
- Closer Distance: The moon’s orbit around Earth is not a perfect circle but an ellipse, meaning its distance from Earth varies.
- Perigee: This closest point in the orbit is called perigee, which is about 226,000 miles from Earth.
- Appearance: When a full moon occurs at or near this perigee, it appears noticeably bigger and brighter from Earth.
How much bigger and brighter?
- A supermoon can seem up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than the farthest full moon of the year (at apogee).
Key things to remember:
- Appearance vs. Size: The moon doesn’t actually grow; it just looks bigger and brighter due to its closer proximity to Earth.
- Frequency: Supermoons only happen a few times a year, as the alignment of the full moon and perigee is a relatively rare event.
- Tidal Effects: The closer distance of the moon also causes a slightly stronger gravitational pull, leading to higher high tides.
Oh, Kae. 
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