In a few days, we can expect the largest and closest full moon of the year to Earth – almost 30,000 kilometers closer than the average moon

This year we have already been able to observe some spectacular celestial events – from the October Harvest Moon to the Blood Moon to the Goat Moon, and the list goes on. Another full moon doesn’t seem like anything special at first. But this one is different: it is the largest and closest full moon to the Earth in 2025. On November 5, a so-called supermoon will light up the sky – and appear larger than usual due to its proximity to the Earth. Even though its size is impressive, we can hardly see the difference with the naked eye. Find out why by reading on!

The moon is constantly changing its distance from the Earth because its orbit is elliptical. As a result, it is sometimes closer to us, sometimes further away – and appears larger or smaller accordingly. The full moon on 5 November 2025 will be particularly close to Earth: only around 357,000 kilometers away. That is almost 30,000 kilometers closer than average and only around 500 kilometers further than the smallest possible distance between the Earth and the moon. Impressive facts – but we can hardly perceive them. The difference between the largest and the smallest full moon is roughly equivalent to the difference between a 1-euro and a 2-euro coin. To really recognize the difference in size, you would have to see both moons side by side. It is therefore not possible to estimate the actual size of the lunar disk with the naked eye.

What is clearly noticeable, however, is the brightness. A supermoon shines noticeably brighter: around 30 percent more light reaches us from a moon close to the earth than from a distant one. So if you live outside the city, you can easily perceive the brightness of this near-Earth supermoon – as we will experience it in two days’ time. So it’s worth looking up: the moon will reach its maximum at 14:19 and will be at its closest distance to the Earth at around 23:16. Don’t worry – the moon will remain the same size to the eye throughout the night.