Final huge supermoon of 2024 appears this week — here’s when to see it
It’s peak lunar viewing Dean Martin would have loved.
Later in the week, the final supermoon of 2024 will give skywatchers an eyeful, Fox Weather reported.
This Friday, the moon will appear up to 14% bigger with a more vivid hue than usual, according to Space.com.
Peak illumination will be around 4:30 p.m. — ideal for New Yorkers, as sunset will commence at 4:32 p.m. on Friday, leaving a graceful overlap to see the moon during twilight hours.
Supermoons, an unofficial title coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979, only happen when the celestial body is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
This moon will be about 225,000 miles from the planet, the Associated Press reported.
Each month since August 2024 has featured a supermoon. The October display was closer by 2,800 miles, making it the closest this year, the AP noted.
Although not the last full moon of the year — that arrives a month later on Dec. 15 — this week’s extravaganza will be the closest it will reach Earth before the end of the year, thus giving a more vivid peek at it.
The November event is also known as a beaver moon and was named for the time of year beavers ready their dams as a winter shelter, per Fox Weather.
It will follow a potential showing of the Northern Lights, which may be visible in the United States on Monday and Tuesday nights.