The supermoon graces the skies of the Arab world tonight... the last of the remarkable phenomena of 2025

The skies of the Arab world will witness, after sunset on Wednesday, December 4, one of the most beautiful astronomical phenomena expected this year, as the "supermoon" appears in a remarkable celestial scene in which the moon reaches its closest point to Earth at the same time as it is full.

The closest point of the moon during the year

The moon reaches its full phase at 11:14 PM GMT, while it reaches perigee – its closest point to Earth – at 11:06 PM on the same day.

At this moment, it is only 356,962 kilometers from Earth, about 25,000 kilometers closer than the usual average distance, making it a supermoon by all standards, and it is also known as the "Cold December Moon".

The last supermoons of the year

The December full moon represents the third phenomenon in a series of four supermoons that began in October and will conclude 2025 with a majestic astronomical spectacle.
According to calculations by astronomer Fred Espenak of Astropixels, the world will not see another supermoon until January 3, 2026, and then the phenomenon will stop again until November of the same year, although some global observatories do not classify the January or November full moons as supermoons according to their own standards.

What will the supermoon look like in the sky?

During this phenomenon, the moon appears:

• Up to 14% larger
• And about 30% brighter

The beauty of the scene increases when the moon approaches the horizon, where it deceives the eye and appears larger due to what is called the "lunar illusion," even though its true size does not exceed 0.5 degrees in the sky.

Does the supermoon cause any effects on Earth?

Geological and astronomical studies indicate that there is no relationship between the supermoon and the occurrence of earthquakes or volcanoes.
The only scientifically proven effect is a slight rise in the tide known as "low tide," which does not exceed a few centimeters above the normal average.

Additional accompanying astronomical phenomena

Besides the supermoon, the sky will witness a number of beautiful sights at dawn on December 5:

• Mercury rises two hours before the sun, and appears at an altitude of 7 degrees with a brightness of (-0.3).
• After two days it reaches its greatest western elongation
• Above it shines the star Spica, and above it appears Arcturus.
• Venus, however, rises only about half an hour before the sun, making it difficult to see except on an open horizon.