December 2025 - Moon Phase Calendar

A supermoon occurs when the Moon's orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth at the same time the Moon is full. At such a time, the Moon can look larger and brighter than it normally does - especially when it is seen rising above the horizon. However, it's important to note that the actual difference in size and brightness between a supermoon and an average full moon is not typically dramatic, and may not be noticeable to the naked eye without a direct comparison.

An analysis of moon's mineral composition suggests that the moon is around 4.425 billion years old.

A "micromoon" is a term used in popular astronomy to describe a full moon or a new moon that occurs when the moon is at or near its apogee, which is the furthest point from Earth in its elliptical orbit. This is the opposite of a "supermoon," which occurs when a full moon or new moon is at or near its perigee, which is the closest point to Earth in its orbit."

No, it doesn’t generate its own light. “Moonlight” is really sunlight that has reflected off of the Moon’s surface. In the same way that the Sun illuminates Earth, the Moon reflects the Sun's light, making it appear bright in our sky.

The Moon is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the biggest in comparison to its host planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth. The exact diameter is 2159.14 miles (3 474.8 km ).

The Moon crust is made of composed primarily of oxygen (O), silicon (Si), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), and aluminum (Al), but important minor and trace elements such as titanium (Ti), uranium (U), thorium (Th), potassium (K), and hydrogen (H) are present as well. Below the crust is the mantle coming, with a thickness of roughly 1350 km is far more extensive than the crust, which has an average thickness of about 50 km. The mantle is made of olivine, orthopyroxene and clino pyroxene. Finally, at the center is the Moon’s dense, metallic core. The core is largely composed of iron (Fe) and some nickel (Ni). The inner core is a solid mass of about 480 km in diameter. Surrounding the solid inner core is a fluid outer core, that brings the total diameter of the core to about 660 km.

No, it doesn’t generate its own light. “Moonlight” is really sunlight that has reflected off of the Moon’s surface. In the same way that the Sun illuminates Earth, the Moon reflects the Sun's light, making it appear bright in our sky.

It depends on the time of day. The Moon is very hot in the daytime and very cold at night. The average temperature on the Moon varies from -298 degrees Fahrenheit (-183 degrees Celsius), at night, to 224 degrees Fahrenheit (106 degrees Celsius) during the day.

A "micromoon" is a term used in popular astronomy to describe a full moon or a new moon that occurs when the moon is at or near its apogee, which is the furthest point from Earth in its elliptical orbit. This is the opposite of a "supermoon," which occurs when a full moon or new moon is at or near its perigee, which is the closest point to Earth in its orbit."

A supermoon occurs when the Moon's orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth at the same time the Moon is full. At such a time, the Moon can look larger and brighter than it normally does - especially when it is seen rising above the horizon. However, it's important to note that the actual difference in size and brightness between a supermoon and an average full moon is not typically dramatic, and may not be noticeable to the naked eye without a direct comparison.