                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2026 May 30
   Two images of Earth's Moon are shown, both in full phase. The left moon
      image, labelled Supermoon, is slightly larger than the right moon
   image, labelled Micromoon. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                         Supermoon Versus Micromoon
                     Image Credit: Soumyadeep Mukherjee

   Explanation: What is so micro about tonight's blue micromoon? Just
   after sunset, a full moon will appear slightly smaller and dimmer than
   usual. The reason is that the Moon's fully illuminated phase occurs
   within a short time of apogee - when the Moon is farthest from the
   Earth in its elliptical orbit. In fact, tonight's micromoon will be the
   farthest, smallest, and dimmest Moon this year. But tonight's micromoon
   is notable for yet another reason: it is also a blue moon, meaning that
   it is the second full moon in the same month (moon-th). Pictured here,
   a supermoon -- when the full moon appears near its largest -- is
   compared to a micromoon as photographed from Kolkata, India in May and
   December of 2021. Although the next micromoon occurs next month, and
   the next blue moon at the end of 2028, the next blue micromoon will not
   occur until 2053.

                       Tomorrow's picture: eagle stars
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

