‘Super snow moon’ arrives tomorrow

A “super snow moon,” the largest supermoon of the year, will shine over the skies on Tuesday.

The moon will be about 221,734 miles from Earth, the closest full moon to the planet. On average, the distance from Earth to the moon is about 238,855 miles.

Supermoons occur when the moon’s orbit brings it to the closest point to Earth while the Moon is full.

The moon will appear particularly large when it is close to the horizon thanks to an optical illusion known as “the moon illusion.”

The occurrence is known as a “super snow moon” because of heavy snowfall that usually happens at this time of the year.

“When the moon is near the horizon, it can look unnaturally large when viewed through trees, buildings, or other foreground objects,” NASA wrote in a blog post. “The effect is an optical illusion, but that fact doesn’t take away from the experience.”

Tuesday’s Super Snow Moon will be the second of three projected supermoons in 2019, with the third coming in March.