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Experience the brightest Supermoon Thursday of the year in Chicago

Experience the brightest Supermoon Thursday of the year in Chicago

CHICAGO – Clear skies are expected to allow Chicago residents to see the brightest supermoon of the year on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

According to NASA, a supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth in its orbit. It can appear up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than if the moon were farthest from Earth.

According to AstroPixels, Thursday’s supermoon will be the closest full moon of the year and will be about 222,056 miles from Earth.

The moon will rise after 6 p.m. Thursday and reach its highest point around midnight, with “99 percent illumination,” National Weather Service meteorologist Ricky Castro said.

Known as the “Hunter’s Moon,” this supermoon follows the Harvest Moon, the full moon that signals the end of the growing season. The name Hunter’s Moon refers to the hunting season that follows the fall harvest.

Castro recommends watching the moon along the lakeshore to ensure the most unobstructed view and minimal light pollution.

This year’s Harvest Moon in mid-September also coincided with a lunar eclipse.

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