Moon calendar
Moon phases in October 2024
The full moon falls on 17 October 2024, within a day of perigee, so the disc is at its largest.
Phases
Perigee and apogee
| Event | Date and time (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Apogee | 406,504 km | |
| Perigee | 357,165 km | |
| Apogee | 406,151 km |
The Moon's distance varies by more than 40,000 km over a month. At perigee the disc appears about 14% wider than at apogee — a difference that is obvious in a photograph and almost impossible to judge by eye, since there is nothing in the sky to compare it to.
A perigee full moon
The full moon on 17 October 2024 falls within a day of perigee on 17 October 2024, at 357,165 km. This is the configuration usually marketed as a supermoon. The effect is real but modest: the disc is a few per cent wider than an average full moon, not the dramatic difference the name suggests.
Times from an ELP-derived lunar theory, accurate to within one arcminute. Watch the phase change in the live simulation. A new moon is when a solar eclipse becomes possible; a full moon, a lunar one.