The Biggest Supermoon over San Francisco in 70 Years | SF

Submitted by the Event Organizer

“Supermoon” Night Over San Francisco 2025

Thanks to an optical illusion in the sky, the moon will appear bigger and brighter than normal in the San Francisco Bay Area in the night, during what astronomers call a “supermoon.”

Because the sun is about 50,000 miles closer to the earth than at its furthest point – and it’s a full or new moon – the moon will appear larger and brighter than most full moons. To be considered a supermoon, it has to be within 224,851 miles (361,863 kilometers) of our planet, as measured from the centers of the moon and Earth.

The best time to observe the supermoon is when the moon is near the horizon during either moonrise or moonset, thanks to having objects in the foreground (like buildings or trees) to provide reference points for estimating the moon’s size.

2025 Supermoons

Thanks to NASA for sharing the details of the 2025’s supermoons and Eclipse information.

October 6 – Full Moon, Supermoon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Sun, with its face fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 03:49 UTC (October 7). Early Native American tribes called this the Hunter’s Moon, as it marked the time of year when leaves fell, and game animals were well-fed and ready for hunting. It is also known as the Travel Moon and the Blood Moon. This is the first of three supermoons in 2025. Being near its closest approach to Earth, the Moon may appear slightly larger and brighter than usual.

November 5 – Full Moon, Supermoon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Sun, with its face fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 13:21 UTC. Early Native American tribes called this the Beaver Moon, as it marked the time to set beaver traps before the swamps and rivers froze. It is also known as the Frosty Moon and the Dark Moon. This is the second of three supermoons in 2025, with the Moon near its closest approach to Earth, appearing slightly larger and brighter than usual.

December 4 – Full Moon, Supermoon. The Moon will be directly opposite the Sun, with its face fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 23:15 UTC. Early Native American tribes referred to it as the Cold Moon, marking the time when winter’s chill settles in, and nights grow long and dark. It is also known as the Long Nights Moon and the Moon Before Yule. This is the final supermoon of 2025, with the Moon near its closest approach to Earth, appearing slightly larger and brighter than usual.

Read more about Supermoons at Earthsky

2025 Eclipses

March 14 – Total Lunar Eclipse: A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes entirely through Earth’s dark shadow, known as the umbra. During this event, the Moon gradually darkens before taking on a reddish hue, often called a “blood moon.” This eclipse will be visible across all of North America, Mexico, Central America, and South America. The maximum eclipse will be at 11:58 pm PST.

Monday, November 14, 2016
“Supermoon” Night Over San Francisco 2025

The closest full moon since 1948 is coming up on November 14th.

Technically the moon reaches its full phase very early on the morning of November 14th. But don’t worry, for taking photographs and just watching in awe the moon should be big, bright and equally awesome to watch on both November 13th and 14th.

> Read 5 keys to enjoying the closest supermoon on earthsky.org 

Your best best to notice the larger size of the moon is when it’s near the horizon and there’s something to compare it to. So either at moonrise or moonset when you can see it next to the hills, buildings, bridges or coastline. If you just stare at it high in the sky with no frame of reference it’s hard to notice a difference.

So your ideal time for photos will be Sunday evening around 5pm, Monday Morning around 5:30am or Monday evening around 5:40pm

San Francisco Moonrise/Moonset Times
Best bets for photos since the moon will be near the horizon

• Sunday Evening, Nov. 13 –  Moonrise – 4:52pm
• Monday Morning, Nov. 14 – Moonset – 5:32am
• Monday Evening, Nov. 14 – Moonrise – 5:40pm
• Tuesday Morning, Nov. 15 – Moonset – 7:56amSource – timeanddate.com

Check out these photos from David Yu and Bhautik Joshl of past supermoons close to the horizon and you can see what we’re talking about.

So get your cameras out… the moon won’t come this close to Earth again until November 25, 2034.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.