Sturgeon supermoon illuminates the night sky around the world
he Earth and the moon snuggled up close last night—at least by cosmic standards. The two worlds357,311 km apart on the evening of Aug. 1. That represents the perigee—or low point—in the moon's elliptical orbit around our planet. The apogee—or high point—is 405,500 km . Not only was the moon close, it was also full—a combination that gives rise to a so-called supermoon, one which appears 30% brighter and 14% larger than an ordinary full moon does at a more distant remove.
A bigger, brighter moon always brings out star gazers and photographers, as this collection of images from yesterday's cosmic spectacular illustrates. If you missed the great show, no worries. This year is a big one for supermoons. In addition to yesterday's, there was one on July 3, and there are two more to come, on Aug. 30 and Sept. 28. The Earth and moon have been partners in the sky for 4.5 billion years. That long relationship can often yield things of great beauty.
A family stands in front of the full moon in Arguineguin, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, Aug. 1, 2023.The moon rises behind Istanbul's Camlica Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey on Aug. 1, 2023The moon rises over a tower in Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province of China on Aug. 1, 2023.The moon rises behind the ancient temple of Poseidon at cape Sounion, south of Athens on Aug. 1, 2023.
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