CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — October’s supermoon is the closest of the year and teams up with a comet for some rare two-for-one stargazing.

The third of four supermoons this year will be 357,364 kilometers away on Wednesday evening, making it appear even bigger and brighter than in August and September. He reaches his full moon phase on Thursday.

In a twist of cosmic fate, a comet is nearby. Discovered last year, comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas is now prominently visible in the Northern Hemisphere after wowing stargazers in the Southern Hemisphere.

The moonlight will wash out part of the comet’s tail, but it’s still worth looking at after sunset, says NASA’s Bill Cooke.

“Most astronomers hate the full moon because its bright light interferes with seeing other objects. So it’s a little hard for us to wax poetic about it, even though it’s the biggest supermoon of 2024,” he said in an email.

Catch the comet better; it may never come back. But don’t worry if you miss Thursday’s supermoon. The fourth and final supermoon of the year rises on November 15.

A supermoon is more of a popular than scientific term: a supermoon occurs when a full moon phase synchronizes with a particularly short swing around the Earth. This usually only happens three or four times a year and consecutively, given the moon’s constantly changing, oval-shaped orbit.

A supermoon is obviously not bigger, but it can appear that way, although scientists say the difference may be barely noticeable.

There is a quartet of supermoons this year.

The one in August was 224,917 miles (361,970 kilometers) away. September was almost 3,000 miles (4,484 kilometers) closer the night of September 17 to the next morning. A partial lunar eclipse also occurred that night, visible over much of the Americas, Africa and Europe as the Earth’s shadow fell on the moon, appearing like a small bite.

October’s supermoon is the closest of the year at 222,055 miles (357,364 kilometers) from Earth, followed by November’s supermoon at a distance of 224,853 miles (361,867 kilometers).

Scientists point out that only the keenest observers can distinguish the subtle differences. It’s easier to notice the change in brightness: a supermoon can be 30% brighter than average.

As the US and other countries ramp up lunar exploration with landers and eventually astronauts, the moon beckons brighter than ever.

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