Supermoon Visible In DC, Virginia Sunday

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Forget about saying Goodnight, Moon. This weekend, get ready to say, Hello, Supermoon. When the moon rises on Sunday evening, it will be the last supermoon of the year.

It doesn't happen every month – the ones in May, September, and November are the most well-known.

Each one has at least one special name. The May moon is also known as the Flower Moon, September's is called the Harvest Moon, and December's has several names including the Full Cold Moon, the Beaver Moon, and the Hunter's Moon.

It's called a supermoon because the moon, which doesn't have a perfectly circular orbit, gets closer to the Earth, sometimes more than 30,000 miles closer. As a result, it appears 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter.

The best viewing times are considered the first half hour after the moon rises. In DC, it will rise at 6:12 p.m. on Sunday night. And if you miss this one, the next supermoon will be on Jan. 1, 2018. Check your local forecast for exact moonrise times in your town.

Although it won't be as enormous as last year's, supermoons are typically bigger during the winter months. The Nov. 14, 2016 was the closest a full moon got to Earth since 1948. A full moon will get even closer in 2034.

Patch Editor Colin Miner contributed to this report.

Image via Christopher Polk/Getty Images News/Getty Images