“Supermoon” Dazzled Skywatchers On Sunday, 23 June

The “supermoon” rising over the ancient temple of Poseidon in Greece on Sunday, 23 June 2013. Photograph by Elias Chasiotis, National Geographic Your Shot.

Lunar enthusiasts from all over the world gathered to admire the “supermoon” on Sunday 23 June as the moon swung closer to Earth than usual and gave the biggest and brightest full moon of the year.

The moon came within 222,000 miles (360,000 kilometers) of Earth and turned full around 7:30 a.m. EDT (11:30 GMT). During that time, the moon appeared about 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than the average full moon.

Technically known as a perigee moon, the event occurs when a full moon lines up with the Earth and the sun at a specific point in its orbit, called the lunar perigee.

“Supermoon” photo taken over the weekend at The Old Fortress of Corfu in Greece. Photograph by Vasilis Metallinos, National Geographic Your Shot

This was the moon’s closest encounter with Earth for 2013. The next supermoon will appear 10 August 2014.

The term “supermoon” is not astronomical, but originated in modern astrology.