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Amazing supermoon lights up skies worldwide

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A bright shining supermoon illuminated the skies around the world on Monday evening, creating a stunning view owing to the moon’s closest distance to planet Earth in the past seven decades.

 

A supermoon occurs when the moon becomes full on the same days as its perigee, the point in the moon’s orbit when it is closest to Earth.

NASA scientists say that supermoons generally appear to be 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than other full moons.

The full lunar disc lighting up the night skies inspired people around the world, both professionals and amateurs, to try to capture the celestial event that will not repeat itself in almost two decades.

Why is it called a Supermoon?

Experts in the field of astrology say that the moon’s orbit around the Earth is shaped like an egg and it is slightly irregular, so it moves closer or farther from us. However, the moon was at its closest point this cycle at 11:21 GMT on November 14, just 221,524 miles from our planet.

This phenomenon will be in records three times for 2016. The first one occurred on October 16 and the third one is expected on December 14, when the moon becomes full on the same day as perigee.

The second one, however, which happened on November 14, was not only the closest full moon of 2016, but also the closest full moon to date in the 21st century, making it an extra-supermoon. 

Those who missed this phenomenon will not see another as such until November 25, 2034.

A supermoon is undeniably beautiful. And we can multiply that beauty by three as 2016 comes to a close.

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