Biggest supermoon of 2025 to light up skies in Pakistan tonight, says space agency

Screengrab taken from a video shared by Reuters on October 7, 2025, showing a man taking a picture of “Harvest Supermoon” in Karachi, Pakistan.
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Updated 05 November 2025
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Biggest supermoon of 2025 to light up skies in Pakistan tonight, says space agency

  • Beaver Supermoon to appear 7.9 percent larger, 16 percent brighter as it reaches its closest point to Earth
  • SUPARCO says event marks the second in a trio of consecutive supermoons visible worldwide

ISLAMABAD: The biggest and brightest supermoon of 2025 will illuminate skies across the world, including Pakistan, today, Wednesday, said the country’s space agency, calling it a rare celestial alignment when the full Moon comes closest to Earth in its orbit.

According to the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the so-called Beaver Supermoon will reach peak illumination at 6:18 p.m. in Pakistan.

“At its nearest point, the Moon will be 356,980 km (221,817 miles) from Earth, making it 7.9 percent larger and 16 percent brighter than a typical full Moon,” the space agency said. “It is the second in a trio of consecutive supermoons (October, November, December 2025) and will be visible worldwide ... offering a breathtaking view.”

SUPARCO explained that a supermoon occurs when a full Moon coincides with its perigee, the point at which it is closest to Earth in its elliptical orbit, causing it to appear unusually large and bright.

Supermoons typically occur three to four times a year, though exceptionally close alignments between Earth and the Moon are uncommon.

This year’s sequence of supermoons is among the most striking in recent years, with favorable viewing conditions expected across South Asia, including Pakistan.
 


Sri Lanka players ask to leave Pakistan after bombing, board says no

Updated 12 November 2025
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Sri Lanka players ask to leave Pakistan after bombing, board says no

  • Sri Lanka are playing three ODIs followed by T20 tri-nation series in Pakistan this month 
  • Suicide bombing in Islamabad on Tuesday made Sri Lankan players fear for security

Some Sri Lanka cricketers requested to return home from their Pakistan tour on Wednesday for safety reasons after a suicide bombing in Islamabad, but their board issued a stern directive to stay put or face consequences.

Sri Lanka are touring Pakistan, playing three one-day internationals followed by a Twenty20 tri-series along with Zimbabwe this month. Sri Lanka are scheduled to play Pakistan in the second ODI on Thursday in Rawalpindi. 

But the bombing, which killed 12 people in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, made several Sri Lankan players ask to go home, the Sri Lanka Cricket board said in a statement. Rawalpindi and Islamabad are twin cities hardly 20 km (12 miles) apart.

"SLC immediately engaged with the players and assured them that all such concerns are being duly addressed in close coordination with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the relevant authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of every member of the touring party," the SLC said.

'CONTINUE WITH  TOUR' 

"In this context, SLC has instructed all players, support staff and team management to continue with the tour as scheduled," SLC added.

Any player who returns despite the directive will be replaced immediately to avoid disrupting the tour, it said.

If anyone does that, however, "a formal review will be conducted to assess their actions, and an appropriate decision will be made upon the conclusion of the review."

SLC did not respond to a question on the number of players and staff who requested to return home.

Pakistan had been struggling to convince sports teams to visit the country after gunmen attacked a bus carrying touring Sri Lanka cricket players in the city of Lahore in 2009.

At least six players were injured, and visits by international teams came to a halt as Pakistan played their "home" matches in the United Arab Emirates.

But security has improved since then in major urban centers and test cricket returned when Sri Lanka toured in 2019.

In this series, Pakistan won the first ODI, which was also held in Rawalpindi, by six runs on Tuesday.