The moon’s elliptical orbit causes its apparent size to change as it moves closer or farther away from Earth. On Monday, the moon reached its farthest point, apogee, making it appear slightly smaller in the night sky tonight. This phenomenon occurs because the moon’s distance from our planet changes throughout its 27.3-day cycle, resulting in a slight decrease in size.
While the moon is currently at its farthermost point, astronomers estimate that the change in size will be around 14% as it moves closer to Earth during its orbit. However, for most skywatchers, this change won’t be visibly apparent. The exact moment of apogee occurred on February 18, but the moon was below the horizon at that time.
For observers in the Northern Hemisphere, the moon will rise above the eastern horizon shortly before midnight and be visible in the Virgo constellation. Tonight’s moon is 19 days old and approaching its next phase, the half-lit third quarter moon, which occurs on February 20.
The ‘micromoon’ also provides an opportunity to observe other celestial objects like craters and features on the moon. With the right equipment, such as telescopes or binoculars, skywatchers can get a closer look at our natural satellite.
Source: https://www.space.com/the-moon-apogee-smaller-micromoon-february-2025