When to see the supermoon
The first supermoon of 2018 peaks at 9:24 p.m. EST (0224 GMT Tuesday Jan. 2). For observers in New York City, the moon will rise in the east-northeastern sky at 4:34 p.m. EST and stay up through the night, setting the morning of Jan. 2 at 7:36 a.m. EST, according to timeanddate.com. Look for the moon in or near the constellation Gemini.
While the moon is officially full on Jan. 1, it will still appear full to the casual observer the night before and after. The second supermoon of January will occur on Jan. 30 and 31. The moon will reach perigee at 4:54 a.m. EST (0954 GMT) on Jan. 30, at a distance of 223,069 miles (358,995 km) from Earth, according to EarthSky.org. Then, on Jan. 31, the moon reaches its full phase at 8:27 a.m. EST (1327 GMT) coincides with a total lunar eclipse. NASA has billed the Jan. 31 moon a “super blue blood moon” despite the gap between the moon’s arrival at perigee and its peak full phase.