If you look up at the sky on Wednesday evening, you can see the biggest and brightest moon of the year.

The Dhul-Hijjah moon, or the Ghazal moon, is classified as a giant moon similar to the “strawberry moon”, which appeared last month, because the phenomenon occurs when the moon is at the closest point in its orbit to the Earth, which makes it appear larger and brighter to onlookers.

The moon’s orbit around the earth is known as elliptical, meaning that the moon’s distance from the earth is constantly changing.

An astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, Tania de Salles Marques, says that the full moon at the perigee appears 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter, compared to its presence at the apogee, which is the farthest point from us in its orbit.

She added that the moon appears larger at the moment of its rising because of the optical illusion, called the “moon illusion.”

According to NASA in the United States, the moon was called the “deer moon” by the Native Americans because its appearance coincides with the completion of the deer’s horns.

Source: NASA