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Supermoon River
Photograph by Emanuel Lopes, My Shot
On Saturday the moon (pictured over Lisbon, Portugal's Tagus River) made its closest approach to Earth in 18 years—making the so-called supermoon the biggest full moon in years. (Get the full story of the supermoon.)
The monthly full moon always looks like a big disk, but because its orbit is egg-shaped, there are times when the moon is at perigee—its shortest distance from Earth in the roughly monthlong lunar cycle—or at apogee, its farthest distance from Earth.
Likewise, because the size of the moon's orbit varies slightly, each perigee is not always the same distance away from Earth.
Saturday's supermoon was just 221,566 miles (356,577 kilometers) away from Earth—making the supermoon about 20 percent brighter and 15 percent bigger than a regular full moon, said Anthony Cook, astronomical observer for the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.
Before the supermoon, astronomer Geza Gyuk said, "Look for the full moon as it rises above the eastern horizon as the sun sets below the western horizon—it will be a beautiful and inspiring sight."
That's advice a lot of photographers, including National Geographic fans, one of whom contributed this picture, apparently took to heart.
(See more readers' supermoon pictures.)
More Moon Pictures, Facts, and News
- National Geographic Moon Pictures and Prints
- New Moon Map From National Geographic
- 1969 National Geographic Article on First Moon Landing
- Full Moon Effect on Behavior Minimal, Studies Say
- Year's Biggest Full Moon, Mars Create Sky Show (2010)
- Moon Quiz
- Moon Has a Hundred Times More Water Than Thought
- Moon Eclipse Pictures
- Full Moons Get Electrified by Earth's Magnetic "Tail"
- Mini Magnetic Shield Found on the Moon
- The Moon Has Shrunk, and May Still Be Contracting
- Moon Pictures: Lunar Orbiter's First Pictures Released
—With reporting by Andrew Fazekas
Published March 21, 2011
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Supermoon Shines Through
Photograph by Fresco Jr. Linga, My Shot
Saturday's supermoon shines through clouds over Manila in the Philippines in a picture by National Geographic My Shot user Linga Fresco, Jr.
More Moon Pictures, Facts, and News
- More Readers' Supermoon Pictures
- National Geographic Moon Pictures and Prints
- 1969 National Geographic Article on First Moon Landing
- Full Moon Effect on Behavior Minimal, Studies Say
- Year's Biggest Full Moon, Mars Create Sky Show (2010)
- Moon Quiz
- Moon Has a Hundred Times More Water Than Thought
- Moon Eclipse Pictures
- Full Moons Get Electrified by Earth's Magnetic "Tail"
- Mini Magnetic Shield Found on the Moon
- The Moon Has Shrunk, and May Still Be Contracting
- Moon Pictures: Lunar Orbiter's First Pictures Released
Published March 21, 2011
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Big Apple, Bigger Moon
Photograph by Mike Segar, Reuters
The supermoon rises over New York City on March 19, 2011.
More Moon Pictures, Facts, and News
- More Readers' Supermoon Pictures
- National Geographic Moon Pictures and Prints
- 1969 National Geographic Article on First Moon Landing
- Full Moon Effect on Behavior Minimal, Studies Say
- Year's Biggest Full Moon, Mars Create Sky Show (2010)
- Moon Quiz
- Moon Has a Hundred Times More Water Than Thought
- Moon Eclipse Pictures
- Full Moons Get Electrified by Earth's Magnetic "Tail"
- Mini Magnetic Shield Found on the Moon
- The Moon Has Shrunk, and May Still Be Contracting
- Moon Pictures: Lunar Orbiter's First Pictures Released
Published March 21, 2011
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Supermoon Skaters
Photograph by Fred Thornhill, Reuters
The supermoon spotlights skaters on Pigeon Lake near Bobcaygeon, Canada, on Saturday.
More Moon Pictures, Facts, and News
- More Readers' Supermoon Pictures
- National Geographic Moon Pictures and Prints
- 1969 National Geographic Article on First Moon Landing
- Full Moon Effect on Behavior Minimal, Studies Say
- Year's Biggest Full Moon, Mars Create Sky Show (2010)
- Moon Quiz
- Moon Has a Hundred Times More Water Than Thought
- Moon Eclipse Pictures
- Full Moons Get Electrified by Earth's Magnetic "Tail"
- Mini Magnetic Shield Found on the Moon
- The Moon Has Shrunk, and May Still Be Contracting
- Moon Pictures: Lunar Orbiter's First Pictures Released
Published March 21, 2011
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Rock Over London
Photograph by Suzanne Plunkett, Reuters
The supermoon emerges over the London skyline early on the evening of March 19.
More Moon Pictures, Facts, and News
- More Readers' Supermoon Pictures
- National Geographic Moon Pictures and Prints
- 1969 National Geographic Article on First Moon Landing
- Full Moon Effect on Behavior Minimal, Studies Say
- Year's Biggest Full Moon, Mars Create Sky Show (2010)
- Moon Quiz
- Moon Has a Hundred Times More Water Than Thought
- Moon Eclipse Pictures
- Full Moons Get Electrified by Earth's Magnetic "Tail"
- Mini Magnetic Shield Found on the Moon
- The Moon Has Shrunk, and May Still Be Contracting
- Moon Pictures: Lunar Orbiter's First Pictures Released
Published March 21, 2011
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Supermoon Shadow
Photograph by Rehan Khan, European Pressphoto Agency
Silhouetted against a supermoon, a bird crosses the skies over Karachi, Pakistan, on March 19.
More Moon Pictures, Facts, and News
- More Readers' Supermoon Pictures
- National Geographic Moon Pictures and Prints
- 1969 National Geographic Article on First Moon Landing
- Full Moon Effect on Behavior Minimal, Studies Say
- Year's Biggest Full Moon, Mars Create Sky Show (2010)
- Moon Quiz
- Moon Has a Hundred Times More Water Than Thought
- Moon Eclipse Pictures
- Full Moons Get Electrified by Earth's Magnetic "Tail"
- Mini Magnetic Shield Found on the Moon
- The Moon Has Shrunk, and May Still Be Contracting
- Moon Pictures: Lunar Orbiter's First Pictures Released
Published March 21, 2011
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Red, White, and Moon
Photograph courtesy Bill Ingalls, NASA
Washington, D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial basks in supermoon glow on March 19.
More Moon Pictures, Facts, and News
- More Readers' Supermoon Pictures
- National Geographic Moon Pictures and Prints
- 1969 National Geographic Article on First Moon Landing
- Full Moon Effect on Behavior Minimal, Studies Say
- Year's Biggest Full Moon, Mars Create Sky Show (2010)
- Moon Quiz
- Moon Has a Hundred Times More Water Than Thought
- Moon Eclipse Pictures
- Full Moons Get Electrified by Earth's Magnetic "Tail"
- Mini Magnetic Shield Found on the Moon
- The Moon Has Shrunk, and May Still Be Contracting
- Moon Pictures: Lunar Orbiter's First Pictures Released
Published March 21, 2011
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Northern Moon
Photograph by Nuno Alexandre, My Shot
The supermoon shines over Aalborg, Denmark, on March 19 in a picture by National Geographic My Shot contributor Nuno Alexandre.
More Moon Pictures, Facts, and News
- More Readers' Supermoon Pictures
- New Moon Map From National Geographic
- National Geographic Moon Pictures and Prints
- 1969 National Geographic Article on First Moon Landing
- Full Moon Effect on Behavior Minimal, Studies Say
- Year's Biggest Full Moon, Mars Create Sky Show (2010)
- Moon Quiz
- Moon Has a Hundred Times More Water Than Thought
- Moon Eclipse Pictures
- Full Moons Get Electrified by Earth's Magnetic "Tail"
- Mini Magnetic Shield Found on the Moon
- The Moon Has Shrunk, and May Still Be Contracting
- Moon Pictures: Lunar Orbiter's First Pictures Released
Published March 21, 2011
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