Why is the Moon so bright?

The Moon’s surface is actually quite dark, reflecting only about 12 percent of the sunlight that hits it, similar to worn asphalt. It appears brilliant because it is close to Earth, about 384,400 kilometres away on average, and because we view it against a black sky. A full moon is roughly 400,000 times dimmer than the Sun but still bright enough to cast shadows. Full moons also get an extra boost called the opposition surge, when sunlight hits the surface straight on and shadows between grains disappear. A “supermoon” at its closest can look about 30 percent brighter than one at its farthest.