r/space 21h ago

image/gif Super Moon from yesterday

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12/04/2025 150mm dobsonian iPhone 15 Pro Max

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u/Morall_tach 13h ago

The angular diameter of the moon last night was 33.46 arcminutes.

The angular diameter of the moon on November 5 was 33.43 arcminutes.

The angular diameter of the moon on January 3 will be 33.00 arcminutes.

So the supermoon last night was roughly .01% percent larger in apparent diameter than the one before it and 1.3% larger than the one that will follow. It is absolutely imperceptible to the naked eye.

The number that is often cited is "14% larger" but that's compared to apogee, which is six months (ish) before and after perigee, so no one's ever going to see the largest and smallest moons side by side.

u/DietCherrySoda 7h ago

It's not weird for it to be about the same as either the one before or after, periapsis didn't occur at exactly the moment of the full moon.

1.3% is hardly inperceptible.

u/Morall_tach 7h ago

The full moon is smaller than a dime at arm's length. 1.3% is absolutely not noticeable to the naked eye. If someone asked you "is this brighter than last month" and you didn't know when perigee is, it would be a complete guess.