May's flower moon will impress skywatchers on Monday, May 12, 2025, rising just after sunset to illuminate the night sky. But it will be one of the smallest of the year.
illustrate the difference in the apparent size and brightness of the moon during a supermoon. The left half shows the apparent size of a supermoon , while the right half shows the apparent size and brightness of a micromoon .
When is the full moon? If you've witnessed the monthly appearance of a full moon on the eastern horizon during dusk before, you'll notice nothing different when it does so at dusk on Monday, May 12, 2025. It may seem a little large, but that's down to something called the moon illusion, the human brain's propensity to see things close to the horizon as larger than they are. In short, that's all in your head, according to However, the full "flower moon" will be smaller than usual, and, technically speaking, it will appear smaller and dimmer than usual. Although it's not a term used by astronomers, you'll hear it referred to as a "micromoon.". The moon’s orbital path around Earth is slightly elliptical, so each month, there’s a point when it’s farthest away , but that's not stopped people from rushing to define what is and isn't a supermoon and a micro moon. Timeandate states that a micromoon is a full or a new moon that occurs when the center of the moon is farther than 251,655 miles from the center of Earth. Meanwhile, a supermoon is when the center of the moon is less than 223,694 miles from the center of Earth. The moon's average distance from Earth is 238,900 miles . On Monday, the flower moon will be 251,828 miles away, according toThe upshot of all this is that this week's flower moon will appear about 12–14% smaller and dimmer than a supermoon, the case being about it's about 25,000 miles of Earth-moon distance. However, exactly how useful it is to know that is questionable. "A 14% increase in the apparent size of something that can be covered with a fingernail on an outstretched arm won’t seem significantly bigger," states. Lucky, then, that the rising of a full moon on Monday will, in a clear sky, be the astronomical highlight of the month — micromoon or not. To see it at its best, find an elevated location, an open field or an east-facing coastline with a clear view of the eastern horizon. To find the best time to see it appear from where you are, use a
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Our moon may have once been as hellish as Jupiter's super volcanic moon IoNola Taylor Tillman is a contributing writer for Space.com. She loves all things space and astronomy-related, and enjoys the opportunity to learn more. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English and Astrophysics from Agnes Scott college and served as an intern at Sky & Telescope magazine. In her free time, she homeschools her four children.
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