When a full moon rises Wednesday at 4:45 p.m., it will be at its nearest distance to Earth this year at 221,726 miles, according to . The full moon on Dec. 4 will be its second-closest distance of the year, a mere 82 miles further than this week. For comparison, the moon’s furthest distance from earth in 2025, which will occur Nov. 19, will be 252,706 miles.

The reason for the difference is that the moon’s 27-day orbit is elliptical (oval), and the Earth is not at its center.

According to , the full moon appears about 14% bigger and 30% brighter during a super moon than the faintest moon of the year. After December, the next two super moons will occur in December 2026 and January 2027.

Timeanddate.com uses data developed by the U.S. Naval Observatory and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

And, in case you were wondering, the next total lunar eclipse for Denver will occur in the wee hours of March 3.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Better catch this week’s . It will be a while until the next one.

This will be the year’s fourth and final supermoon, looking bigger and brighter than usual as it comes within about 225,000 miles (361,867 kilometers) of Earth on Thursday. It won’t reach its full lunar phase until Friday.

The supermoon rises after the peak of the and before the Leonids are most active.

was 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) closer, making it the year’s closest. The in August.

In 2025, expect three supermoons beginning in October.

What makes a moon so super?

More a popular term than a scientific one, a supermoon occurs when a full lunar phase syncs up with an especially close swing around Earth. This usually happens only three or four times a year and consecutively, given the moon’s constantly shifting, oval-shaped orbit.

A supermoon obviously isn’t bigger, but it can appear that way, although scientists say the difference can be barely perceptible.

How do supermoons compare?

This year features a quartet of supermoons.

The one in August was 224,917 miles (361,970 kilometers) away. September’s was 222,131 miles (357,486 kilometers) away. A partial lunar eclipse also unfolded that night, visible in much of the Americas, Africa and Europe as Earth’s shadow fell on the moon, resembling a small bite.

October’s supermoon was the year’s closest at 222,055 miles (357,364 kilometers) from Earth. This month’s supermoon will make its closest approach on Thursday with the full lunar phase the next day.

What����ap in it for me?

Scientists point out that only the keenest observers can discern the subtle differences. It����ap easier to detect the change in brightness — a supermoon can be 30% brighter than average.

With the U.S. and other countries ramping up lunar exploration with landers and eventually astronauts, the moon beckons brighter than ever.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

The third of this year, it will be 222,055 miles (357,364 kilometers) away Wednesday night, making it seem even bigger and brighter than in August and September. It will reach its full lunar phase Thursday.

RELATED: A comet with potential to be brighter than Halley’s will be visible beginning Saturday

In a twist of cosmic fate, a comet is in the neighborhood. Discovered last year, comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas is now prominent in the Northern Hemisphere after wowing stargazers in the Southern Hemisphere.

The moonlight will wash out some of the comet����ap tail, but it����ap still worth a look after sunset, said NASA’s Bill Cooke.

“Most astronomers hate the full moon because its bright light messes up observing other objects. So it����ap a bit hard for us to wax poetic about it even if it����ap the biggest supermoon of 2024,” he said in an email.

Better catch the comet; it may never return. But don’t fret if you miss Thursday’s supermoon. The fourth and final supermoon of the year will rise on Nov. 15.

What makes a moon so super?

More a popular term than a scientific one, occurs when a full lunar phase syncs up with an especially close swing around Earth. This usually happens only three or four times a year and consecutively, given the moon’s constantly shifting, oval-shaped orbit.

A supermoon obviously isn’t bigger, but it can appear that way, although scientists say the difference can be barely perceptible.

How do supermoons compare?

There’s a quartet of supermoons this year.

The one in August was 224,917 miles (361,970 kilometers) away. September’s was nearly 3,000 miles (4,484 kilometers) closer the night of Sept. 17 into the following morning. A partial lunar eclipse also unfolded that night, visible in much of the Americas, Africa and Europe as Earth’s shadow fell on the moon, resembling a small bite.

October’s supermoon is the year’s closest at 222,055 miles (357,364 kilometers) from Earth, followed by the November supermoon at a distance of 224,853 miles (361,867 kilometers).

What����ap in it for me?

Scientists point out that only the keenest observers can discern the subtle differences. It����ap easier to detect the change in brightness — a supermoon can be 30% brighter than average.

With the U.S. and other countries ramping up lunar exploration with landers and eventually astronauts, the moon beckons brighter than ever.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

It will be the first of two so-called “supermoons,” which are full moons that coincide with the lunar orb’s closest approaches to Earth in a given year, making them appear slightly larger than normal. And, when there are two full moons in the same month, the second is called a blue moon. That will occur Aug. 30.

According to that focuses on cycles of the moon and sun, the last time there was a super blue moon was in 2009, and the next one will occur in 2032. Supermoons appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter relative to “micromoons” at the other extreme.

This week’s full moon is occurring when the moon is making its second-closest approach of all the full moons this year (222,022 miles). The blue moon at the end of the month will occur when the earth is 221,942 miles away, the closest full moon of the year.

Moonrise in Denver will occur at 8:47 p.m. on Tuesday and at 9:23 p.m. on Wednesday.

Because the moon travels a monthly elliptical orbit, and the earth isn’t quite at its center, the moon will be its farthest distance from the earth of the year in just two weeks — Aug. 16, to be exact — at nearly 252,700 miles.

The other celestial event to watch this month is the annual Perseids meteor shower, which began in mid-July. It is expected to reach its peak Aug. 12-13. According to a , the Perseids could offer 50-100 meteors per hour. Viewing could be good because the moon will be a waning crescent then.

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Granted, you’ll have to get up mighty early to see the maximum phase of this eclipse, because it will occur from 3:16 a.m. until 4:41 a.m. The partial phase will end at 5:49 a.m., an hour before the moon sets.

But it might be worth rising early to see. Denverites have had some exciting lunar events to witness the past two years. One coincided with a super moon in May of 2021, and Tuesday’s eclipse is the second of the year, the first having occurred on May 16.

The next total lunar eclipse in Denver won’t occur until March of 2025.

That’s not the only news relating to the moon this week. from the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center to launch pad 39B on Friday. The next launch window for the first flight to the moon in 50 years opens on Nov. 14. This mission is an un-crewed flight that will journey to the moon, orbit it and return to earth.

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Predictable celestial events such as lunar eclipses, meteor showers, rare planetary phenomena and so-called “super moons” are attracting keen interest from a growing number of amateur astronomers. Stores that sell telescopes and astronomy accessories have been doing booming business since the pandemic. Membership in the has increased nearly 60% over the past four to five years, according to past president Ron Hranac.

Meanwhile space exploration is making news. Last month the dazzled earthlings. Last year, NASA’s fifth robotic rover on Mars began sending new pictures from the red planet. Hardly a week goes by without one or more launches from the Kennedy Space Center.

At the end of the month, , the most powerful rocket ever built. That un-crewed test flight will travel to the moon and back, marking the first step toward what NASA intends to be a sustained human presence there.

“Because we are in this golden era of lots of space exploration, both with space telescopes and planetary missions, I think that drives a lot of interest,” said John Keller, director of the , who got his first telescope when he was 10 years old. “There’s always been interest in the sky, for thousands and tens of thousands of years. The ways people are accessing it continue to evolve.”

When a rare conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurred just before Christmas in 2020 — an 800-year event — the phone at the Mile High Astronomy telescope store rang “off the hook,” according to employee Zachary Singer. Sales were already booming because of the pandemic.

“We had a real supply problem, not just because suppliers were trying to make telescopes under COVID, but demand had just gone through the roof because people were isolating,” Singer said. “People were getting stimulus checks and they were saving money because they weren’t commuting to work. If you were still working, you were saving piles of money, you were staying home and you wanted to be away from everybody else. What����ap a good solo thing to do?”

Perhaps it wasn’t merely for a pastime, though. Perhaps contemplating the infinite vastness of space was comforting while a microscopic virus was turning our world upside down.

“Shops like Mile High Astronomy and pretty much every other telescope dealer in the U.S. had an incredible interest in telescopes and binoculars,” Hranac said, “and they’re still going crazy.”

There are many ways novice astronomers can learn about the heavens and how to enjoy them. Astronomy aficionados recommend two magazine websites, and , both of which inform readers on how to enjoy upcoming celestial events. The Denver Astronomical Society has a very informative page on its website offering advice on .

At CU, the Fiske Planetarium offers , Thursday through Sunday. On most Friday nights there are public viewing nights at the adjacent , where the public can look through a huge 24-inch telescope and two 20-inch scopes (those dimensions indicate the diameter of the aperture, not the length of the telescope). At those events, graduate students and other faculty members are available to provide information and insight.

“That����ap a chance to meet people, talk about astronomy and ask questions about telescopes, binoculars, what is up in the sky, be shown constellations,” Keller said. “Some people come back multiple times. Other people just go out on a date and bring their partner, just to look at the sky.”

The Denver Astronomical Society, which has 850 members, hosts public nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays that include lectures and the opportunity to look through the 20-inch telescope in the . Reservations are required and are limited to 15 people.

“We are booked into October already, which just blows my mind,” Hranac said. “Normally we’re four to six weeks out, but we’re way past that.”

In addition, the club hosts monthly open houses for the public that are usually timed for the Saturday closest to the first quarter moon. Members set up telescopes on the lawn outside the observatory and invite the public to look through them.

“People come out and enjoy views of whatever is in the night sky through member telescopes,” Hranac said. “It����ap a good chance also for people to bring telescopes they may have had sitting in the closet and really aren’t comfortable using or setting up. We’ll help them with that.”

Events like those are great ways for amateur astronomers to gather information to help them decide what kind of telescope to buy. Singer tells customers its all about tradeoffs.

“You want the biggest instrument that does not make you crazy, and there’s two ways to go crazy,” Singer said. “One is budget. The most expensive one is not necessarily the one you want. Neither is the biggest one.”

Singer owns an expensive 12-inch telescope, which means the reflecting mirror is a foot in diameter.

“That����ap much bigger than most of the telescopes we have in the shop,” Singer said. “The catch is, the optical tube alone weighs 50 pounds. And because it����ap such a beast, you need a giant mount to stick it on. That����ap another 35 pounds. That����ap a lot for a lot of folks to haul around, especially for casual views of the moon. It����ap overkill.

“They’d be much happier with something like a six-inch or an eight-inch, which is going to be more compact and cheaper, which will still show you quite a lot. If you had a lousy day at work, you’re going to say, ‘The heck with my boss, I’m going to take out my nice easy telescope, lose myself in the sky and relax.'”

A decent 80-millimeter (three-inch) beginner refractor telescope can be purchased for around $200. “It����ap not the greatest telescope,” Singer said, “but it����ap good enough to show you amazing views of moon craters, decent views of Jupiter and Saturn and Mars.”

Singer is quick to add that a telescope is not essential for enjoying celestial events.

“You can get a lot from astronomy with a star chart or a planisphere,” Singer said. “A planisphere is like a little wheel with a star chart, and it shows you what����ap overhead at any time of day or night, anytime of the year. You can get something like that for $10, and it will show you where the constellations are.”

Free apps are available to help skygazers identify stars, planets and constellations from their smart phones.

“Anybody who really wants to start, all you need is to get out of the city and let your eyes dark adapt,” Singer said. “This time of year, when the Milky Way is high above in the south around 10 p.m., you can just blow your mind for free — no telescope required. Binoculars are nice, but also not essential.”

Humans have always been fascinated by the heavens. But now, Keller notes, we know that the universe was made up of hydrogen and helium when it was formed and that all of the other atoms that make up our solar system — and our bodies — were formed inside the cores of stars.

“Those atoms were inside many, many other stars that existed before us that died and blasted their materials out into space before they formed our solar system,” Keller said. “When we look up at the heavens, we’re kind of going back in time, looking at our origins. We are connected to the universe we are viewing and we have the capacity to have thoughts about that. There could have been a universe without us to witness. The fact that we get to observe the sky and know from where we came, we’re adding cognizance of the universe itself.”

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A so-called super moon occurs when a full moon coincides with its perigee (closest approach to the Earth) in its monthly orbit around the Earth. That makes it appear to be slightly larger than normal. Because of the moon’s elliptical orbit, there are monthly perigees and apogees (the furthest distance from Earth), and their distances vary through the year. Another super moon will occur on July 13.

The average distance from the moon to the Earth is 238,855 miles. On Tuesday, the moon will be 222,098 miles away, which will be its second-closest approach to the Earth in 2022. It will be even closer for the super moon of July 13, when it will be at its closest of the approach of the year, at 221,993 miles.

The moon will be farthest from the Earth — its greatest apogee of the year — on June 29, when it’s 252,637 miles away. You probably won’t notice, though, because it will be overhead during daylight hours.

One more astronomy note: The solstice that marks the official arrival of summer will occur June 21. On that day and the day after, Denver will have 14 hours, 59 minutes and 15 seconds of daylight. After that, the days will grow shorter until the winter solstice on Dec. 21.

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RELATED: How to get a close look at Sunday night����ap total lunar eclipse

The total lunar eclipse will occur the night of Sunday, May 15 into the early hours of Monday, May 16. This lunar eclipse should be visible across all of Colorado if the weather cooperates. Our forecast of hot and dry weather with a lack of cloud cover looks to continue through the weekend meaning we all should have nice weather conditions for viewing.

The total lunar eclipse occurring Sunday night should be met with clear conditions over much of Colorado. Lately, we’ve been hoping for cloud cover and moisture, but the fact that we’ll have clear skies for this event is a good thing since it’s a fun phenomenon to see. There may be some cloud-cover increasing late in the evening for some, but there should be plenty of breaks between any clouds to see at least some of the eclipse.

Here’s the timing on when to expect the eclipse to start and when it will end in and around Denver.

You’ll begin to see the earth’s shadow cross the moon right before 8:30 pm on Sunday evening. The moon will be crossing the horizon just before 8:00 pm in the east-southeastern sky and rising through the event so it will be low against the horizon to start. The moon will be completely encompassed by the earth’s shadow starting at 9:29 pm and it will stay covered until 10:53 pm. The moon should be at its deepest red color at 10:11 pm at night. This eclipse from beginning to end will last for several hours.

This will be a great event to watch with your family and friends since some of this eclipse is happening earlier in the night. The best thing about a lunar eclipse: You won’t have to wear eye protection to see it, so you can walk out and view it with the naked eye. Binoculars will help you see some details of the moon but viewing it as it is, will be good enough for most.

Of course, if you can get to an area with less light pollution, you’ll be able to see many more stars and more details of the moon and the color it will hold.

Although there is a lot of light pollution along the I-25 corridor, most folks should be able to see the eclipse regardless of their location. Areas of the eastern Plains and many mountain locations will have the best viewing potential.

Again, this will be a long-lasting event and just about everyone in Colorado should be able to see this thanks to a lack of cloud cover. Enjoy the show! The next total lunar eclipse will happen on Nov. 8.

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The red supermon moved into a full lunar eclipse at around 5 a.m. on May 26. Those that woke up early enough could see the dramatic view just before clouds converged, blocking the view in most areas as the moon set behind the Colorado mountains.

The next major astronomical event will come with the , set to arrive July 17-Aug. 26.

But when a occurs in the hours just before sunrise on Wednesday, we may not be so lucky. Meteorologists say clouds will be moving in from the west right around the time the eclipse is set to occur. It����ap possible they will ruin the show. They could actually enhance the view, though. And they might actually arrive after the moon sets.

RELATED:

To review, if you haven’t been following along: The partial eclipse will begin above the southwestern horizon Wednesday at 3:44 a.m. The moon will be half in eclipse around 4:20 a.m., and it will be in total eclipse from 5:11 to 5:25. Sunrise is at 5:36. The moon will set officially at 5:43, although much of the Front Range will actually see it dip below the mountains before then.

“It����ap looking to me like there’s probably going to be a decent amount of cloud cover,” said Zach Hiris, a forecaster at the National Weather Service in Boulder. “It����ap going to be high clouds, though, so it����ap not necessarily thick clouds that you won’t be able to see through. It����ap kind of that hazy sky you see at night with those high cirrus clouds.”

Cirrus clouds are composed of ice crystals, occurring at elevations of 16,000 feet or more, and tend to be wispy. So it����ap possible they could make the eclipse even more beautiful than it would have been in a clear sky.

“I’m wondering if those high clouds are thin enough to make a nice little haze, really bring out some of the color,” Hiris said. “They’re going to be developing right in that window from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. But from what I’m seeing, it doesn’t look like it����ap going to be too bad at 4 or 5 a.m. I think it����ap going to get a little bit thicker after sunrise.”

Fox 31 meteorologist Kylie Bearse offered some hope that the clouds could arrive after the moon sets.

“I’ve got one model bringing it in around 4 a.m.,” Bearse told viewers Tuesday morning, “the other one bringing in the clouds around 6 a.m.”

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