Mark your calendars: on September 7, 2025, the Moon is putting on one of its most dramatic performances of the decade. A supermoon will rise looking noticeably larger and brighter than usual, and for much of the world it will coincide with a total lunar eclipse — turning the Moon a deep coppery red for an extended stretch of the night. Events like this don’t come around often, and when they do, they’re the kind of skywatching moment that rewards anyone willing to step outside and simply look up.
What’s unique about this SUPER MOON?
What makes the September 7, 2025 supermoon especially notable is its timing: it occurs when the Moon is very near perigee (its closest point to Earth) and during a total lunar eclipse visible across large parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. This combination means the eclipsed Moon may appear slightly larger than a typical “blood moon,” with a richer red hue caused by Earth’s atmosphere filtering sunlight onto the lunar surface. Totality is expected to last well over an hour, making this one of the longer and more visually striking lunar eclipses in recent years.
What a supermoon is and what causes it
A supermoon happens when a full Moon coincides with perigee in the Moon’s elliptical orbit around Earth. Because the Moon isn’t always the same distance from us, a perigee full Moon can appear up to about 14% larger and 30% brighter than a full Moon occurring near apogee (its farthest point). The effect is subtle but real — especially noticeable when the Moon is low on the horizon or compared to photos taken at different points in the year.
Cool supermoon science facts
- A supermoon is not an official astronomical term — scientists usually call it a perigean full Moon.
- The Moon’s orbit is elliptical, not circular, which is why supermoons are possible at all.
- During a lunar eclipse, Earth’s atmosphere bends sunlight toward the Moon, filtering out blues and leaving reds — the same reason sunsets are red.
- Supermoons can slightly increase tidal ranges, but they do not cause earthquakes or disasters.
- The “larger” look of a supermoon is often amplified by the Moon illusion when it’s near the horizon.
- A supermoon eclipse can appear brighter at the edges due to Earth’s uneven atmospheric filtering.
Bonus: SUPER MOONs in history and culture
Across cultures, unusually large or red Moons have long been treated as omens, symbols, or sacred events. Ancient civilizations tracked lunar cycles meticulously, tying them to agriculture, religious calendars, and mythology. Blood Moons in particular were often seen as signs of transformation or warning, while bright full Moons were associated with fertility, madness, and magic — giving us words like lunacy and countless Moon-centered rituals. Even today, supermoons tap into that same shared human instinct: when the Moon looks different, we notice — and we remember it.