What to Know
- A supermoon can appear as much as 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than the average full moon
- This week, it came closer to Earth along its elliptical orbit than at any time since January 1948
- In 2034, the moon will come even closer, within 221,485 miles. That, too, will be a supermoon
Astronauts aren't the only ones to get a close-up view of the moon — a historic supermoon rose late Sunday into the early hours Monday. It's the biggest supermoon in nearly 70 years, and will be the last of its size until 2034.
The moon orbits the Earth in an oval shape. The moon will be at its brightest this week because it is coming closer to the Earth along its elliptical orbit than at any time since January 1948. The supermoon will also bring stronger than usual high tides, followed by plunging low tides the next morning.
The phenomenon reached its most luminescent in North America before dawn Monday. It will reach its zenith in Asia and the South Pacific on Monday night. Across the international dateline in New Zealand, it will reach its brightest after midnight on Tuesday local time.
NASA says that a supermoon can appear as much as 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than the average full moon. Don't forget to snap some photos: it'll be another 18 years before the full moon gets this close to Earth again, the space agency says.
In 2034, the moon will come even closer, within 221,485 miles. That, too, will be a supermoon.
Check out some of the cool snapshots people around the world and throughout the city have snapped so far:
