Micromoon visible from night sky this weekend

The moon will appear slightly smaller than usual this weekend due to a phenomenon occurring only three times this year. – known as a micromoon – will look slightly smaller and dimmer on Saturday night. But the change may be tricky to spot with the naked eye.A micromoon occurs when it reaches its during orbit, also known as its apogee.“It’s a very subtle difference,” said astrophysicist Alain Brizard from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont.The phenomenon happens when is at a point farthest away from Earth. It’s opposite to a , where the moon swings closer to Earth and looks a bit larger.To see the micromoon, go outside and look up in an area with a clear view of the moon.In Chicago, the micromoon will be visible at 7:23 p.m. Saturday, according to a moon phase website.The next micromoon will occur on May 12 at 11:58 a.m. In 2026, micromoons will happen on May 1, May 31 and June 29.