2019's Biggest, Brightest Supermoon Rises Tonight

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2019's Biggest, Brightest Supermoon Rises Tonight

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If you only look up at the moon once in 2019 (which would be weird, but just for the sake of argument) then tonight is the night to take a gander up at the starry sky.

We've shared alerts about upcoming "supermoons" before, times when Earth's largest natural satellite looks especially bright or beautiful as it passes closer than usual to our planet.

Tonight, February 19, is one of those occasions. In fact, tonight's supermoon could be the biggest and brightest you'll see all year. And thankfully, you won't have to stay up late to get the full view of tonight's astronomical event.

The full moon will actually look its best during the day, but won't be visible before the sun goes down. If you head out at moonrise (check your local time here), when the moon is near the horizon, you should see the supermoon in all its glory.

Called the Snow Moon (because February is.... well, snowy), tonight's supermoon is already our third this year.

While the lunar display won't measure up to last month's rare super blood wolf moon eclipse, the moon will have a striking look that's easy to see with the naked eye, and won't keep you up all night waiting to see it.

Supermoon
A supermoon sets over the Rocky Mountains in this 2016 photo.Airman 1st Class Dennis Hoffman - U.S. Air Force

There's another supermoon coming just next month, on March 19, but tonight's full moon promises to be the year's best.

And while the moon passes close to earth at its "perigee" each year, the distance between the two heavenly bodies changes from year to year. If you miss tonight's supermoon, the next best time to glimpse one will be in 2026, when a Christmas supermoon will pass a little closer than tonight's on the eve of December 24.

[H/T: CNN, Forbes]

Will you be watching the supermoon rise tonight?

I write about all sorts of things for Shared, especially weird facts, celebrity news, and viral stories.