Supermoon Alert! Sunday's Full Moon Will Be 2017's Only Supermoon
DETROIT (WWJ) -- It'll be a site to see on Sunday night when the full moon comes out as it'll be our only Supermoon of 2017.
The moon will be roughly 10,000 miles closer to Earth on Sunday evening, creating our first and only Supermoon of the year. Based on the moon's rotation this month's full moon -- which is also being called the Cold Moon -- will be at its closest point to Earth, creating the Supermoon. Experts say it'll be roughly 222,000 miles away, which is roughly 10,000 to 20,000 miles closer than normal.
"The moon's orbit is not a circle, it's sort of an egg shape so sometimes it's further away and sometimes it's close to us," Head of Astronomy at the Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills Michael Narlock told WWJ Newsradio 950's Jason Scott. "Sometimes during the year we get an opportunity to see the full moon when it is at its closest point and that's what we'll be seeing on Dec. 3."
The moon will be visible to see on Sunday after 5 p.m. when it begins to rise, however, it won't officially be a Supermoon until it is at its closest point to Earth, which will be at approximately 4 a.m. on Monday. Narlock did say, though, that there is not much of a difference between the two different sights.
To see when exactly the moon will rise for where you are located, click here.
There has been other reported times this year where the moon has been closer to Earth, however it wasn't considered a Supermoon because it didn't land on a day where it was a full moon. If you won't be able to witness the Supermoon on Sunday, don't worry because there will be a few more in the near future.
"As luck will have it, we will have Supermoons in January and February of 2018," Narlock said. "So this will be the first of three."
One factor that could affect Sunday's moon viewing -- rain. Early forecasts predict evening showers so hopefully the skies will clear up enough to view the Supermoon.