The Last Supermoon of 2020 Arrives Thursday. Here's What to Look For.

It's your last chance to see the moon show off this year.

Supermoons are a lot like Oreos. By the time you get to the last one in the package, you may have had your fill. Moreover, some part of your brain is telling you there will always be more, but that's not guaranteed to be the case. Also, they're round. Can't overlook that. 

Well, we're at the last Oreo in the supermoon package. It's been a good run. There have arguably been four straight supermoons in 2020, but the full moon on the night of Thursday, May 7, will be the last full moon supermoon of 2020. It'll actually be the last one until April 2021. With a few in a row, you might feel like you've had your fill, but it's last call on supermoons for a real long time. 

May 2020 Supermoon
NASA/JPL Caltech

What is a supermoon?

The sometimes controversial label is applied colloquially to a perigee-syzygy moon, which is when a full moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth. The moon travels in an elliptical orbit, so full moons take place at a variety of distances from our planet. A perigee-syzygy moon is, from a stargazer's vantage point, a full moon that's brighter and larger than an average full moon. 

The perigee is the point of the orbit when it's at its closest point to Earth. At that time, it's about 14% larger and 30% brighter than a micromoon, which is what we have when the moon is at its apogee or furthest point from Earth in its orbit. You can see where the controversy comes into play because many people argue that 30% brighter and 14% larger than when the moon is at its smallest may be an abuse of the word "super." If Superman was just 14% better than an average dude, he'd just be, I don't know... Robin?

Nonetheless, it's a beautiful sight so let's all enjoy something and call it super. 

What else can you see the night of the Supermoon?

The moon is going to rise early in the evening, per Time and Date. So, if you're out looking at the moon, you may also want to look for Venus in the evening. It's the brightest object in the sky outside of the sun and moon. It'll be in the west, and you've only got a few more weeks of Venus popping up in the evenings. It'll soon move into the morning sky. 

It doesn't take a whole lot of effort, so make the most of your evenings at home by heading outside and giving a little attention to the last Oreo in the package. You'll miss those cookies when they're gone and you're stuck with store-brand knockoffs. 

Ready to go stargazing?

Here are all the best stargazing events that you can get out and see this month or you could stay in a stream the northern lights from home. If you're just getting started, check out our guide to astronomy for beginners

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Dustin Nelson is a Senior Staff Writer at Thrillist. Follow him @dlukenelson.