CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The first of four supermoons this year rises next week, providing tantalizing views of Earth's constant companion.
Stargazers can catch the first act Monday as the full moon inches a little closer than usual, making it appear slightly bigger and brighter in the night sky.
''I like to think of the supermoon as a good excuse to start looking at the moon more regularly," said Noah Petro, project scientist for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
August's supermoon kicks off a string of lunar spectacles. September's supermoon will coincide with a partial lunar eclipse. October's will be the year's closest approach, and November's will round out the year.
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.
''Unless you have looked at a lot of full moons or compare them in images, it is hard to notice the difference, but people should try,'' Petro said in an email.
