August's supermoon is the first of four lunar spectacles
![supermoon](http://media.lasvegassun.com/media/img/photos/2024/08/19/AP24232797591364_t650.jpg?5711a3b57decb389a12ba40e20471e031ff69545)
Hadi Mizban / AP
The sun sets as Shiite pilgrims march on their way to Karbala for Arbaeen in Babil, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024.
Monday, Aug. 19, 2024 | 10:32 p.m.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Monday's supermoon is the first of four this year.
During a supermoon, the full moon inches a little closer than usual to Earth. A supermoon isn’t bigger, but it can appear that way in the night sky, although scientists say the difference can be barely perceptible.
September’s supermoon will coincide with a partial lunar eclipse. October’s will be the year’s closest approach, and November’s will round out the year.
More a popular term than a scientific one, a supermoon occurs when a full lunar phase syncs up with an especially close swing around Earth. This usually happens only three or four times a year and consecutively, given the moon’s constantly shifting, oval-shaped orbit.