The Supermoon appears to be sinking into the atmosphere. The image was taken by André Kuipers from aboard the ISS on May 5, 2012.
Seen from West Orange, New Jersey, the full moon hangs over the Manhattan skyline like a celestial clementine Sunday night. In general, the moon appears redder near the horizon, because its light is passing through more of our planet's thick atmosphere than when the moon is higher—the atmosphere tends to scatter blue light, letting mostly red wavelengths through.
The supermoon of 2012 rises over Entiat, Wash., in this photo by skywatcher Tim McCord snapped on May 5, 2012.
Skywatcher Jatin Raval snapped this serene view of the 2012 supermoon, the full moon of may, between palm trees near Juhu Beach in Mumbai, India, on May 5, 2012.
While a treat for sky-watchers, the supermoon (pictured behind Seattle's Space Needle this weekend) on Saturday wasn't a rare event: The full moon coincides with lunar perigee about once a year, on average. And because the size of the moon's orbit varies slightly, each monthly perigee is not always the same distance from Earth. March 2011, for example, saw the closest supermoon in two decades—a mere 221,565 miles (356,575 kilometers) from Earth. (See pictures of last year's supermoon.)
The supermoon of 2012 shines bright over Oahu, Hawaii as two skywatchers look on in this amazing view from observer James Davidson on May 5, 2012 during the May full moon.
Veteran astrophotographers Imelda Joson and Edwin Aguirre captured this view of the supermoon of 2012, the full moon of May, on May 5, 2012, from Woburn, Mass.
Flattened moonbeams appear to look like liquid in this image of the supermoon. The image was taken by André Kuipers from aboard the ISS on May 5, 2012.
The golden disk of a full moon rests over a Rio de Janeiro shantytown on Sunday. No major effects on Earth have so far been linked to supermoons, the Adler Planetarium's Gyuk emphasized. "Supermoons have been happening for billions of years, and nothing particularly special occurs on these dates—except, of course, for a beautiful full moon."
Skywatcher Giueseppe Petricca of Pisa, Italy, caught this view of the 2012 supermoon, the May full moon, rising just before sunset in Pisa, Italy on May 5, 2012. Petricca used a NikonNikon P90 digital camera and ISO100.
The supermoon of 2012 shines bright in a cloud-spattered sky in this view from skywatcher Tonya Traylor from Manchester, Wash., on May 5, 2012.
The blue colours of our atmosphere are a beautiful contrast with the supermoon. The image was taken by André Kuipers from aboard the ISS on May 5, 2012.
Learn what makes a big full moon a true 'supermoon' in this SPACE.com infographic.
Veteran astrophotographers Imelda Joson and Edwin Aguirre captured this view of the supermoon of 2012, the full moon of May, on May 5, 2012, from Woburn, Mass.
Palm fronds frame the supermoon of 2012 in this striking photo from skywatcher Dion Paul, who watched the biggest full moon of the year rise over Jacksonville, Fla., on May 5, 2012.
Skywatcher Karthikeyan VJ snapped this view of the supermoon of 2012, the full moon of May, from Tallinn, Estonia, on May 5, 2012.
SPACE.com reporter Mike Wall snapped this photo of the supermoon over the western part of San Francisco on May 5, 2012.
The supermoon of 2012 rises over Toronto, Ontario in Canada in this spectacular photo by skywatcher Reuben Opena taken on May 5, 2012 during the biggest full moon of the year.
Skywatcher Wayne Louie snapped this view of the May 2012 full moon, a so-called "supermoon," from Walnut Creek, Calif., on the evening of May 5, 2012.
Wispy clouds cover part of the supermoon of 2012 in this photo from skywatcher Tonya Traylor in Manchester, Wash., on May 5, 2012.
Photographer and skywatcher Stefano De Rosa snapped this amazing view of the May 2012 "supermoon," the full moon at perigee, as it appeared in Turin, Italy.
Skywatcher Lisa Delapo used a reflector telescope to capture this view of the supermoon of 2012, the May full moon, from the San Francisco Bay Area in California on May 5, 2012.
Skywatcher Wayne Louie snapped this view of the May 2012 full moon, a so-called "supermoon," from Walnut Creek, Calif., on the evening of May 5, 2012.
Skywatcher Giueseppe Petricca of Pisa, Italy, caught this view of the 2012 supermoon, the May full moon, from Pisa, Italy on May 5, 2012. Petricca used a NikonNikon P90 digital camera and ISO100.
Skywatcher Carra Almond snapped this view of the suppermoon of 2012, May's full moon, from Amman, Jordan on May 5, 2012, using a digital camera.
Skywatcher Roopesh Kumar Singh caught this view of the 2012 supermoon, the full moon of May, from Noida, India, on May 5, 2012.
This photo of the 2012 supermoon comes from skywatcher Brett Hoffman, who captured the full moon of May rising over Worthington, Ohio, on May 5, 2012.
The supermoon of 2012 shines through tree leaves near Juhu Beach in Mumbai, India, in this photo from skywatcher Jatin Raval taken on May 5, 2012.
A supermoon occurs when the full moon is seen at the shortest distance from Earth. The image was taken by André Kuipers from aboard the ISS on May 5, 2012.
Skywatcher Uli Creighton snapped this photo of the May full moon, a so-called supermoon, from Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, on May 5, 2012.
This photo from James Davidson shows the supermoon of 2012 as seen from Ewa Beach Park on Oahu, Hawaii, on May 5, 2012 during the May full moon. A cruise ship is also visible as it departs Honolulu.
Photographer Cindy Hiles took this photo of the 2012 supermoon, the full moon of May, over the Liberty Memorial of the World War I museum in Kansas City, Missouri, on May 5, 2012.
Shawn Vasquez caught the supermoon on May 5, 2012, from a vantage point in Nipomo, California. Nipomo lies about 10 miles south of Pismo Beach
Skywatcher Iain Spowart caught the supermoon over Linlithgow Palace, Scotland on May 5, 2012. He writes: " ... the streak in the sky is a Chinese Lantern which someone had let off — would have been nice if it was a meteor but I can only dream."
Skywatcher Roberto Porto snapped this photo of the supermoon plus a bonus fireball over Costa Adeje, Tenerife on May 5, 2012.
Skywatcher Roberto Porto took this photo of the supermoon in Costa Adeje, Tenerife, Spain, on May 5, 2012.
Skywatcher Roberto Porto took this photo of the supermoon over buildings in Costa Adeje, Tenerife, Spain, on May 5, 2012.
Matt Molloy caught the supermoon over Bath, Ontario, Canada, on May 5, 2012.
