How much bigger is a supermoon, really?

Impressive video from the mountains of Colorado shows the difference in sizes when the moon appears at its largest – and smallest – from Earth. 

Barry Stevenson captured the supermoon in August 2023, then went back to the same location in late February for the micromoon, he told Storyful. 

The side-by-side comparison shows the visible difference in size and brightness between the two. 

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What is a supermoon? 

A supermoon happens when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth, also known as perigee, at the same time the moon is full, according to NASA. 

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(EDITORS NOTE: Image taken with double exposure) A super moon rises over a tower on August 1, 2023 in Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

When the full moon aligns with perigee, it’s a bit brighter and bigger than a typical full moon, hence the term supermoon. 

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About a fourth of full moons are supermoons. NASA says there are typically about three to four of them a year. 

What is a micromoon? 

When the moon’s orbit is farthest from Earth, called apogee, at the same time the moon is full, it’s called a micromoon. When this happens, the moon appears a bit smaller and dimmer than normal because it’s so far away. 

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Side-by-side of micromoon and supermoon (Barry Stevenson via Storyful)

February’s full moon was known as the snow moon, but it was also a micromoon. It’s the only one of 2024. 

When is the next supermoon? 

There are four supermoons to look forward to in 2024, according to EarthSky.org, and they’ll happen four months in a row: 

  • Aug. 19
  • Sep. 17 
  • Oct. 17 
  • Nov. 15

Other full moons in 2024 include: 

  • March 25: worm moon
  • April 23: pink moon      
  • May 23: flower moon  
  • June 21: strawberry moon         
  • July 21: buck moon       
  • Aug. 19: sturgeon moon (supermoon)    
  • Sept. 17: harvest moon (supermoon)
  • Oct. 17: hunter’s moon (supermoon)     
  • Nov. 15: beaver moon (supermoon)
  • Dec. 15: cold moon
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