Supermoon dates 2026 to 2030: every one, with distances.
A supermoon is a full moon that falls close to perigee, the point in the Moon's orbit nearest Earth. There is no official definition, which is why different sites count different numbers. This page uses Fred Espenak's rule, the most widely cited one: a full moon counts when it falls within 90 percent of that orbit's closest approach. By that rule there are 18 supermoons from late 2026 through 2030, and they cluster: two at the end of 2026, two at the start of 2027, four in early 2028, five in 2029, and five in 2030. The closest of the whole run is February 10, 2028.
When are the supermoons in 2026?
Two, both late in the year. The Beaver Moon on November 24 at 14:53 UTC and the Cold Moon on December 24 at 01:28 UTC. December 24 is the closest full moon of 2026, about 356,700 km from Earth, and lands within hours of a perigee at 356,640 km. The full table of 2026 dates is on the 2026 full moon calendar.
When are the supermoons in 2027?
Two, both early in the year. The Wolf Moon on January 22 at 12:17 UTC, the closest full moon of 2027 at about 357,644 km, and the Snow Moon on February 20 at 23:24 UTC. February 20 also grazes Earth's outer shadow as a penumbral lunar eclipse, a faint shading at most. Under Espenak's rule the second half of 2027 has no supermoon at all. See the 2027 full moon calendar.
When are the supermoons in 2028?
Four in a row: January 12, February 10, March 11, and April 9. The Snow Moon on February 10 at 15:04 UTC is the closest full moon of 2028 and of this whole five-year span, with perigee at 356,720 km just five hours after the moon turns full. January 12 doubles as a shallow partial lunar eclipse. See the 2028 full moon calendar.
When are the supermoons in 2029?
Five, from late January through May. Distances are at the instant of full moon, from Espenak's catalog.
| Full moon (UTC) | Distance at full | Perigee |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Jan 30, 2029, 06:04 | 367,046 km | Feb 1, 12:21 |
| Wed, Feb 28, 2029, 17:10 | 359,659 km | Mar 1, 18:30 |
| Fri, Mar 30, 2029, 02:26 | 356,683 km (closest of 2029) | Mar 30, 05:40 |
| Sat, Apr 28, 2029, 10:37 | 358,383 km | Apr 27, 16:24 |
| Sun, May 27, 2029, 18:37 | 364,262 km | May 25, 22:19 |
The March 30 moon turns full about three hours before perigee, which is as close to a perfect alignment as the decade offers.
When are the supermoons in 2030?
Five again, shifted about seven weeks later in the year than 2029, from mid March through mid July.
| Full moon (UTC) | Distance at full | Perigee |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Mar 19, 2030, 17:56 | 366,439 km | Mar 21, 22:01 |
| Thu, Apr 18, 2030, 03:20 | 359,654 km | Apr 19, 03:44 |
| Fri, May 17, 2030, 11:19 | 357,028 km (closest of 2030) | May 17, 13:45 |
| Sat, Jun 15, 2030, 18:41 | 358,779 km | Jun 14, 23:37 |
| Mon, Jul 15, 2030, 02:12 | 364,530 km | Jul 13, 05:13 |
The June 15, 2030 supermoon is also a partial lunar eclipse, with about half the disc inside Earth's umbra at 18:33 UTC.
Why do supermoons come in runs?
Because the Moon's orbit is an ellipse that slowly rotates. The long axis of the ellipse, the line from perigee to apogee, swings all the way around once every 8.85 years. A full moon happens whenever the Moon is opposite the Sun, so full moons line up with perigee only during the part of that cycle when the perigee end of the ellipse points away from the Sun. That window lasts a few months, produces three to five supermoons back to back, and then drifts later by about a month and a half each year. That drift is why 2026's pair sits in November and December, 2028's run in January through April, and 2030's in March through July.
How much bigger is a supermoon?
About 7 percent wider and 15 percent brighter than an average full moon, and about 14 percent wider than a full moon at apogee, the so-called micromoon. In the sky that is roughly 33.5 arcminutes across at the closest supermoon versus 29.4 at the farthest micromoon. The difference is real and shows clearly in side-by-side photographs, but on a given night, with nothing to compare it against, most people cannot tell. The moon that looks enormous on the horizon is an illusion of the landscape, not distance, and it happens on ordinary nights too.
Why do other sites give different counts?
Three definitions are in common use. Espenak's rule, used here, ties the label to how close the full moon falls to that orbit's own perigee. A second rule, popularized by the astrologer who coined the word in 1979, counts any full moon within 90 percent of the closest possible perigee, which sweeps in more moons. A third uses a fixed cutoff, often 360,000 or 367,000 km. Each gives a different list, so a page that says "three supermoons this year" and one that says "four" can both be right by their own rule. The dates on this page state the rule so you can compare.
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Quick answers.
When is the next supermoon?
November 24, 2026 at 14:53 UTC, followed by the closer one on December 24, 2026 at 01:28 UTC. The moon phase tonight page counts down to the next full moon.
What is the closest supermoon before 2031?
February 10, 2028, with perigee at 356,720 km five hours after full. March 30, 2029 at 356,683 km at the instant of full moon is essentially a tie.
Is a supermoon dangerous or does it affect tides?
It raises tides by a few centimetres more than an ordinary full moon, which coastal forecasts already account for. It has no other measurable effect.