The moon at perigee
The distance of the moon from Earth always changes because the moon orbits in an elliptical orbit around Earth.
The moon reaches perigee, meaning it reaches the closest point to 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.
However, 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 at or 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 does the moon reach perigee?
The moon reaches perigee once every anomalistic month, or 27.555 days. The moon takes 27.555 days to complete one orbit around Earth with respect to the perigee. This is called an anomalistic month.
Now, the moon takes 27.322 days to complete one orbit around 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 will be the next lunar perigee in 2026?
The moon will reach its next perigee on January 29, 2026, at 21:53 UTC (4:53 p.m. EST).
Distance of the moon: The distance of the perigean moon from Earth will be 365,878 kilometers. The average distance of the moon from Earth is 384,400 kilometers.
Apparent size of the moon: The apparent size of the perigean moon will be 32.66 arcminutes in diameter. The average apparent size of the moon is 31 arcminutes in diameter. So the perigean moon in January 2026 will be 5.4% larger than usual.
Moon phase: The perigean moon will be in the waxing gibbous phase and 88% illuminated.
When will the moon be closest to Earth in 2026?
The moon will be closest to Earth on December 24, 2026, at 08:30 UTC, when it will be 356,650 km away. This will be the shortest distance between Earth and the moon in 2026.
Lunar perigee in 2026
According to NASA, here are all the dates of lunar perigee in 2026, along with their distances:
| Date | Time (UTC) | Distance (km) | Angular diameter (arcmin) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 01 | 21:43 | 360348 | 33.16 |
| January 29 | 21:53 | 365878 | 32.66 |
| February 24 | 23:18 | 370132 | 32.29 |
| March 22 | 11:40 | 366858 | 32.57 |
| April 19 | 06:57 | 361631 | 33.04 |
| May 17 | 13:48 | 358074 | 33.37 |
| June 14 | 23:18 | 357196 | 33.46 |
| July 13 | 07:50 | 359111 | 33.28 |
| August 10 | 11:18 | 363288 | 32.89 |
| September 06 | 20:26 | 368255 | 32.45 |
| October 01 | 20:41 | 369338 | 32.36 |
| October 28 | 18:01 | 364411 | 32.79 |
| November 25 | 20:58 | 359348 | 33.25 |
| December 24 | 08:30 | 356650 | 33.51 |
Related article: Lunar apogee 2026: When is the next one?
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