The summer of supermoons arrives! Stunning sights across the world as lunar surface appears bigger and brighter than usual
- Phenomenon happens when the moon is 30,000 miles closer to Earth than the farthest point in its orbit
- It is just an optical illusion caused by its position in the sky and occurs three times this year
- There will also be another 'supermoon' on August 10 and a third on September 9
Last night was an astronomical phenomenon that may have completely passed you by.
If you looked up at the sky you would have seen a perigree moon, more commonly known as a supermoon.
It happens when the moon is 30,000 miles closer to Earth than the farthest point in its orbit and the moon looks bigger and brighter.
The supermoon rises over houses in Olvera, in the southern Spanish province of Cadiz
Looming lunar: The supermoon captured over Kansas in the Midwestern U.S.
Glorious: The moon over the Oregon Convention Center in Portland
Silhouette: The castle of Somoskoujfalu (left), 123 kms northeast of Budapest, Hungary. Right, a young girl plays on the sand at Nauset Beach in the town of Orleans, Massachusetts
A supermoon, is seen on the top of a traditional Ramadan lantern that decorated downtown of Beirut, Lebanon. Ramadan began on June 29 and ends on July 28 when Muslims celebrate Eid
The waxing gibbous moon is viewed from Whittier, California. The supermoon happens when the moon is 30,000 miles closer to Earth than the farthest point in its orbit
In fact, it is just an optical illusion caused by its position in the sky.
It is not that uncommon. Last year we had three although only one made the news. This year we will also have three supermoons with the next occurring on August 10 and then on September 9.
The perige moon as seen during a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers at the Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Light show: Traffic streaks by the supermoon as it rises behind the Memorial Bridge in Washington
Music of the spheres: The supermoon rises behind the historic Mount Wilson Observatory at Mount Wilson in the Angeles National Forest northeast of Los Angeles, California
An Air France flight against the moon as it climbs away from Logan International airport in Boston, Massachusetts
High above: The Rideau Canal in the Canadian capital of Ottawa
Nature's glory: A palm tree is silhouetted against a supermoon in Whittier, California
Futuristic: The supermoon moves accross the sky behind the neon green lights of the Bank of America Tower in downtown Dallas
The moon beneath the American flag at Kauffman Stadium during a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers and right, behind fans during a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium in LA
A supermoon looks over a crescent of a minaret of the grand Faisal mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan
A perigee moon rises behind a tree in Klang, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Another look at the moon through a crescent of the dome of the grand Faisal mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan
The full moon is partly covered by clouds in Nairobi, Kenya
People look at a supermoon, rising above Dojran Lake in southeastern Macedonia
It is the one in August that moon fans are really looking forward to with glee and anticipation. The moon will be 863 miles closer than last night’s.
Geoff Chester at the US Naval Observatory said: ‘I guarantee that some folks will think it's the biggest Moon they've ever seen if they catch it rising over a distant horizon, because the media will have told them to pay attention to this particular one.’
A perigee moon rises above Dojran Lake in southeastern Macedonia and people celebrate by dancing in the moonlight
A supermoon rises above Dojran Lake in southeastern Macedonia
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2690218/The-summer-supermoons-arrives-Stunning-sights-world-lunar-surface-appears-bigger-brighter-usual.html#ixzz37OF5sek4
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