August's supermoon is the first of four lunar spectacles

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Monday's supermoon is the first of four this year.

During a supermoon, the full moon inches a little closer than usual to Earth. A supermoon isn’t bigger, but it can appear that way in the night sky, although scientists say the difference can be barely perceptible.

September’s supermoon will coincide with a partial lunar eclipse. October’s will be the year’s closest approach, and November’s will round out the year.

More a popular term than a scientific one, a supermoon occurs when a full lunar phase syncs up with an especially close swing around Earth. This usually happens only three or four times a year and consecutively, given the moon’s constantly shifting, oval-shaped orbit.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

A supermoon is seen over San Francisco from Marin Headlands in Sausalito, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

A nearly full supermoon shines behind vegetation in Caesarea, Israel, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Clouds float past a supermoon over the Jhelum River in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

German girls on vacation in Portugal react to the strong wind while watching a nearly full supermoon rise over the Tagus river from the roof the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology in Lisbon, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

People walk in front of a rising supermoon at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

A supermoon rises over the horizon of Lake Michigan as a person walks by in Milwaukee, Wis., Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)

The supermoon rises above a beer sign during a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The supermoon is seen over the Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, with an advertising billboard displaying a Russian soldier, participants of the military operation in Ukraine, in the foreground. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

A statue of Mercury and supermoon are seen at Kastellet in Copenhagen Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

A statue of Poseidon and supermoon are seen from Kastellet in Copenhagen Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

The supermoon is seen over the Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

The super moon rises in the clouds over St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

A blue supermoon rises over the Crescent City Connection bridge in New Orleans, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (David Grunfeld/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

Residents watch the supermoon rise over the "Memorial JK," a monument in honor of the founder of Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

A cable car heads toward Sugarloaf Mountain as the supermoon rises into the night sky in Rio de Janeiro, Monday, Aug 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

The sun sets as Shiite pilgrims march on their way to Karbala for Arbaeen in Babil, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

The supermoon appears behind the statue on Place de la République, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

A nearly full supermoon rises in the sky after rain in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

A supermoon rises behind the Burj Khalifa, world's tallest tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

The super moon rises behind the Dome of the Rock shrine at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

The super moon rises behind the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio, south of Athens, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

A supermoon rises behind the Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

The supermoon rises from behind a resident building in Berlin, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

The supermoon rises behind the historical site of Giza Pyramids, near Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Los Angeles Rams (5-6) at New Orleans (4-7)

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EST, Fox.

BetMGM NFL odds: Rams by 2½.

Against the spread: Los Angeles 4-7; New Orleans 5-6.

Series record: Rams lead 44-35.

Last meeting: Rams beat the Saints 30-22 in Los Angeles on Dec. 21, 2023.

Last week: Rams lost to the Eagles 37-20; Saints had a bye, defeated the Browns 35-14 on Nov. 17.

Rams offense: overall (17), rush (26), pass (9), scoring (20).

Rams defense: overall (26), rush (28), pass (19), scoring (26).

Saints offense: overall (11), rush (9), pass (17), scoring (T11).

Saints defense: overall (31), rush (25), pass (30), scoring (20).

Turnover differential: Rams plus-3; Saints plus-2.

WR Cooper Kupp. Since returning from an ankle injury, Kupp has 37 receptions for 401 yards and four touchdowns in five games. Kupp, who has two career 100-yard outings in four previous matchups with New Orleans, needs three catches to pass Keenan Allen (624) for most through a player’s first 100 games in NFL history.

TE Taysom Hill, who also takes snaps as a QB and on special teams, is coming off a career game. He had a career-best 138 yards and three TDs rushing against the Browns during a game that also saw him total 248 yards as a runner, receiver, passer and returner.

The Saints running game, led by Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill, against the Rams defensive front. The Rams have to shore up against the run after being gashed for 314 yards on the ground by the Eagles last week. The Saints have rushed for 197 or more yards in two of their past three games, including 214 in their previous outing against the Browns.

The Rams are hopeful RT Rob Havenstein will be finally be back after missing three games because of an ankle injury. The offensive line desperately missed Havenstein, the last link to the team’s time in St. Louis, in losses to Miami and Philadelphia. … TE Tyler Higbee returned to practice this week, but isn’t expected to make his season debut yet. He tore knee ligaments in last season’s playoff loss at Detroit. ... Saints center Erik McCoy has missed practice time this week as he tries to recover from a groin injury that caused him to miss seven full games before he returned for part of New Orleans' victory on Nov. 17. ... Guard Lucas Patrick also has been held out of practice with a calf injury that has sidelined him for New Orleans past two games.

The home team has won the past nine regular-season meetings. Rams coach Sean McVay will be facing his third Saints head coach since 2019 (Sean Payton, Dennis Allen and Darren Rizzi).

Rams QB Matthew Stafford passed for 243 yards and two TDs without an interception last week. ... Stafford has two or more TDs passing in four of his past five games and has passed for 290-plus yards in two straight road games. ... Stafford has 17 TD passes in his past seven games against New Orleans, including at least two TD passes in each game. ... Stafford needs 200 yards passing for his 12th-career 3,000-yard season. ... RB Kyren Williams had his ninth TD rushing of season last week. ... Williams has scored 12 TDs in his past 11 road games. ... Williams rushed for 104 yards and a TD vs. New Orleans last season. ... Williams needs 42 scrimmage yards for his second straight 1,000-yard season. ... Kupp caught his fifth TD pass of the season last week. Kupp has TD catches in his past two games. ... WR Puka Nacua had nine catches for 117 yards last week, his 10th career game with 100 or more yards receiving, third most in the NFL since 2023. Nacua had nine catches, and a career-high 180 scrimmage yards (career-high 164 receiving, 16 rushing) and a TD catch in his previous game vs. New Orleans. ... Nacua seeks his third straight game with at least 115 yards receiving. ... LB Byron Young has a sack in four of his past five games. ... LB Jared Verse leads all rookies with 11 TFL & ranks second with 4 1/2 sacks. ... DE Braden Fiske leads all rookies with 6 sacks and ranks second with eight TFL. ... LB Christian Rozeboom led the Rams with a career-high 12 tackles last week, his fifth game with 10-plus tackles in 2024. ... Rizzi, the Saints' interim coach, is 2-0 in his first NFL head coaching opportunity. ... QB Derek Carr completed 21 of 27 passes (77.8%) for 248 yards and two TDs in his previous game on Nov. 17. ... Carr passed for 319 yards and three TDs against the Rams last season. ... RB Alvin Kamara had 89 scrimmage yards (67 rushing, 22 receiving) in Week 11. ... Kamara has 443 yards receiving in 2024, the most among RBs, and needs 57 yards more for his fifth career season with 500 yards receiving. ... WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling had 87 yards receiving and his third TD catch of the season in Week 11. He's had at least 85 yards receiving and one TD catch in each of his past two games. ... Hill needs 82 scrimmage yards for his third season in a row with 500. ... TE Juwan Johnson had his second TD receiving of the season in Week 11. ... DL Bryan Bresee had 1 1/2 sacks in Week 11 and has a career-high 5 1/2 sacks. in 2024. ... DL Chase Young had half a sack in Week 11 and has had at least a partial sack in three of his past four games. ... LB Demario Davis led the Saints with a season-high 13 tackles & had two pass breakups and a tackle for loss in Week 11. ... S Tyrann Mathieu is one pass breakup short of 100 for his career.

Rizzi has said he wants to continue to keep Hill as involved as possible in the Saints offense, emphasizing that the Saints offense generally has been more effective when Hill plays well.

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Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Inglewood, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) carries in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in New Orleans, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, right, runs against Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean during the second half of an NFL football game in Inglewood, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Dante Pettis (17) carries on a long punt return in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in New Orleans, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) passes against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half of an NFL football game in Inglewood, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill (7) carries in for a touchdown pst Cleveland Browns safety Ronnie Hickman (33) in the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)