A black supermoon is coming this week

Jessica OrwigFeb 17, 2015, 01:52 IST

The moon is going to be at its closest on Wednesday, February 18, but since it's a new moon, so you won't see a thing.

This is called a black supermoon, and it happens around three times a year. While there's nothing to look at, some superstitious people consider it significant.

Here's a look at how lunar position will block our view:

Orion 8 on Wikipedia

When the moon is at its closet - called perigee - during a full moon or new moon, that's called a supermoon. When the moon is full, it's a spectacular site. Those moons, which are 13,000 miles closer than average, shine up to 30% brighter and appear 14% larger in the sky than other full moons.

Here's a look at a normal full moon compared to a supermoon:

Marcoaliaslama on WikipediaComparison showing how much large the supermoon of March 2011 was compared to the full moon of December 2010.

But when the moon is new, like the one this Wednesday, then its invisible to us. The next supermoon, the third of six to happen in 2015, will take place on March 20th.

The last three will happen during a full moon and take place in August, September, and October. On September 28, the supermoon will occur around the same time as a total lunar eclipse, where the east coast will have prime seating for the event.