How To See This Weekend's Supermoon In Wisconsin

This weekend, cast your gaze skyward to see the first - and last full Supermoon of 2017. Although a full moon comes around once a month, a Supermoon is a much rarer stellar phenomenon.

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.

According to National Geographic, the best time to see the Supermoon is when it rises just minutes after sunset, when an optical effect called the moon illusion will make the supermoon appear much bigger and brighter than it will once it’s high in the sky.

If you're looking to take a picture, remember: as good as your cell phone camera is, it may not be the best for capturing the moment. And if you miss this moon, don't worry. Two more are expected in January – on the 2nd and 31st.

Related Reading:

National Geographic's how to photograph a supermoon

While the moon won't be fully "super" on Saturday, it still should be a good sight when it rises at 4:03 p.m in the Milwaukee area. On Sunday night, it will rise at 4:52 p.m.

This year's supermoon – the first and only one of 2017 – can't compare with last November's, the largest since 1948. It'll be 17 years before we get another chance to see the moon that close to the Earth.

Additional reporting by Patch National Editor Colin Miner

_{Photo via Christopher Polk/Getty Images News/Getty Images}