Metro Detroit's Biggest, Brightest Supermoon Of The Year Is Here: How To See It

The beaver moon, which is the biggest and brightest supermoon of the year, is expected Tuesday and Wednesday in metro Detroit, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.

The best time to see the supermoon will be Tuesday evening and Wednesday shortly after sunset, when it begins rising above the eastern horizon. In the Detroit area, moonrise is at 4:34 p.m. local time Tuesday and will reach 99.7 percent at 11:50 p.m.

That's of course, dependent on the weather. The National Weather Forecast calls for somewhat clear skies Tuesday night and mostly clear skies on Wednesday in the Detroit area.

The forecast says the beaver moon will be just 221,817 miles from Earth, the closest full moon of the year. The average distance between the Earth and the moon is roughly 238,000 miles.

Similar to the sun's light as it sets, the moon's light travels through a thicker part of Earth's atmosphere when it is low on the horizon. This causes the shorter-wavelength blue light to scatter away, allowing the longer-wavelength orange and red light to shine through.

Supermoons occur when the moon is at perigee, the point in its orbit when it is closest to Earth, making it appear up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than the faintest full moon of the year. Although not an official astronomical term, any full moon that is at least 90 percent of perigee may be called a supermoon.