What The Major Nov. Supermoon Means

You've likely been hearing a lot about November's upcoming record-breaking supermoon, but you're also probably wondering what supermoon actually means. There have been so many sky events over the last few months, it seems like every month the moon is doing something impressive in the sky, and it can be hard to tell the difference between the phases and why they're special.

There are a few factors that go into an altered appearance of the moon from Earth: our proximity to it, our alignment with it, and our skies conditions. The closer the moon is to Earth, the larger it looks, and the more in-line we are, the more shadows and colors come into effect. A full moon that coincides with being closest to the Earth on its orbit is called a supermoon. Scientifically speaking, it means that the moon is in a range of less than 223,694 miles from the Earth's center. So for this grand of a supermoon to take place, we both have to be as close to the moon as we can get and in the most full view of the moon as possible. It's an event of strict and precise circumstances.

And for those of you who were hoping to blame your moods on the this supermoon, you'll have to rethink. While the moon's close proximity to the Earth is significant, its effect on us humans is considered to be "imperceptible" by astronomers at EarthSky. While it's possible that there will be a slight increase in the tides, us little humans have a better chance at being affected by the presence of a mountain range or city of tall buildings.

So go out there on the eve of Nov. 14, and catch the biggest supermoon we've seen in our skies in the last 70 years. It's going to be ~woke~.