Starwatch: close encounter with a supermoon

Midweek full moon will be nearer to earth than any other this year

This week is all about the moon because on 13 July, the full moon will be a supermoon.

There is some debate about what constitutes a supermoon but everyone agrees on the basic principle: it occurs when the full moon takes place at or near the lunar perigee, which means its closest approach to the Earth. When the full moon occurs at or around this point in its orbit, it appears slightly larger and brighter than other full moons, and so is called a supermoon.