The moon at perigee
The distance of the moon from the earth always changes because the moon orbits in an elliptical orbit around the earth.
The moon reaches perigee, meaning it reaches the closest point to the earth in its elliptical orbit. Here, perigee comes from two words: peri, meaning near, and geo, meaning earth.
The moon appears 5 to 8% larger than usual when it reaches perigee.
Now, these closest distances vary every time the moon reaches perigee. This is because the orbit of the moon wobbles due to the gravitational perturbations of the sun.
The full moon at perigee
If a full moon occurs near perigee then it’s called a supermoon. A supermoon is about 7% larger than a regular full moon and about 14% larger than a micromoon.
How often is the moon at perigee?
The moon reaches perigee once every anomalistic month or 27.555 days. The moon takes 27.555 days to complete one orbit around the Earth with respect to the perigee. This is called an anomalistic month.
Now, the moon takes 27.322 days to complete one orbit around the Earth with respect to the background stars. This is called a sidereal month. So an anomalistic month is slightly longer than a sidereal month.
When is the next lunar perigee in 2025?
The moon will reach its next perigee on February 2, 2025, at 02:43 UTC (9:43 p.m. EST on February 1).
Distance of the moon: During the perigee, the distance of the moon from the earth will be 367,457 kilometers. The average distance of the moon from the earth is 384,400 kilometers.
Angular diameter: During the perigee, the angular diameter (disk size) of the moon will be 32.52 arcminutes. The average angular diameter of the moon is 31 arcminutes.
Moon phase: During the perigee, the moon will be in the waxing crescent phase and 20% illuminated.
When is the moon closest to Earth in 2025?
The moon will be closest to Earth in 2025 on November 5 at 22:29 UTC, when it will be 356,833 km away. This will be the shortest distance between the Earth and the moon in 2025.
Lunar perigee dates for 2025 with distances
Here are all the dates of lunar perigee in 2025, along with their distances, according to NASA:
| Date | Time (UTC) | Distance (km) | Angular diameter (arcmin) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 07 | 23:35 | 370173 | 32.28 |
| February 02 | 02:43 | 367457 | 32.52 |
| March 01 | 21:18 | 361967 | 33.01 |
| March 30 | 05:26 | 358127 | 33.37 |
| April 27 | 16:15 | 357119 | 33.46 |
| May 26 | 01:37 | 359023 | 33.28 |
| June 23 | 04:43 | 363178 | 32.90 |
| July 20 | 13:52 | 368047 | 32.47 |
| August 14 | 18:01 | 369287 | 32.36 |
| September 10 | 12:10 | 364781 | 32.76 |
| October 08 | 12:36 | 359819 | 33.21 |
| November 05 | 22:29 | 356833 | 33.49 |
| December 04 | 11:06 | 356962 | 33.48 |
Related article: Lunar apogee 2025: When is the next one?
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