The Biggest Supermoon of the Year Offers Picture Opportunities for Photographers
The night sky will feature a striking sight this week as a supermoon rises on Wednesday (November 5) — the largest and closest full moon of 2025.
At 5:30 P.M. Eastern Time, the Moon will reach perigee, its closest point to Earth, at a distance of about 221,726 miles. Roughly nine hours earlier, it will reach its moment of full illumination. Although the “full Moon” technically lasts only an instant, the difference is imperceptible to the naked eye. For about a day either side, the Moon will appear completely full.
According to EarthSky.org, this supermoon will be about 2,800 miles closer than October’s, making it the most impressive of the year. As it rises low on the horizon, the Moon may seem unusually large — a result of what astronomers call the “Moon illusion,” where the brain compares the moon to nearby terrestrial objects like trees or buildings, exaggerating its apparent size.
The Moon’s orbit around Earth is elliptical rather than circular. When a full Moon coincides with the point in its orbit closest to Earth, it is called a supermoon. At this time, the Moon can appear up to 14 percent larger and about 30 percent brighter than when it is at its farthest point, though experts note the brightness difference — only about 0.2 to 0.3 magnitudes — is difficult to discern by eye.
While “the biggest full moon of 2025” may sound incredibly exciting, the actual variation in size and brightness is subtle. Space.com quotes astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson who once remarked: “In the overall scheme of things, is this relatively small increase in the Moon’s apparent size really so meaningful? I mean, if you turned a 14-inch pizza into a 15-inch pizza, would you then call it a ‘Super-pizza?’”
Nevertheless, the large Moon still provides a beautiful sight, one that photographers can manipulate to look much larger with the use of a long lens.
The November full moon is also known as the Beaver Moon, a name that comes from Native American and European traditions. According to NASA, the term may refer to beavers preparing for winter or to the time of year when their thick pelts were historically trapped for clothing.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
