In Photos: 'Supermoon' Dazzles Sky-Watchers Around The World

Super Moon rises over Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul, Turkiye on August 2, 2023. (Photo by ... [+] Berk Ozkan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Sky-watchers across the globe Monday watched the second “supermoon” of the season appear in a blaze of color.

The second of four so-called supermoons—which are slightly larger in apparent size than on average—was captured looking its biggest while close to horizon.

The supermoon rises behind a hill at Pera Chorio Nisou, outskirts of Nicosia, Cyprus, Tuesday, Aug. ... [+] 1, 2023. The moon appears slightly brighter and bigger than normal because it is closer than usual, just 357,530 kilometers (222,159 miles) away, thus the supermoon label. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

A supermoon occurs when a full moon is closer to Earth than on average. The moon’s orbital path around the Earth is elliptical, so there’s a day each month when it’s at it closest. However, only when that day coincides with full moon is it popularly called a supermoon.

A super moon rises over a tower on August 1, 2023 in Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province of China. (Photo by ... [+] VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

An astrological, not astronomical term, a supermoon refers to a full moon that occurs within 90% of the moon’s closest approach to Earth in a given orbit. The proper astronmical term for a supermoon is a perigee full moon.

The "Sturgeon Supermoon" rises behind a lighthouse at San Andres beach near Malaga, Spain.

The “Sturgeon Moon” became 100%-lit by the sun while 222, 023 miles (357,311 kilometers) from Earth. A supermoon appears about 14% larger and 30% brighter than usual.

Super Moon rises over the Empire State Building in New York City, US on AUGUST 1, 2023. (Photo by ... [+] Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

August’s full moon is usually called the “Sturgeon Moon” in the northern hemisphere. It’s named after the seasonal appearance of the sturgeon fish that are found in the Great Lakes in North America at this time of year.

The full moon rises beyond a beer sign at Kauffmann Stadium during a baseball game between the ... [+] Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. The first of two supermoons in August graced the skies on Tuesday. A supermoon is broadly defined as a full moon that is closer to the Earth than normal. That makes it appear slightly brighter and bigger in the sky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Other popular names for August’s full moon include the “Grain Moon,” “Corn Moon,” “Lynx Moon,” “Lightning Moon” and “Dispute Moon.”

A supermoon rises over the West End Tower at Vanderbilt University, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 in ... [+] Nashville, Tenn. The Sturgeon moon is the second of four supermoons to appear in 2023. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

The season’s final full moon—also a supermoon—will rise on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. It will be called a “Blue Supermoon” because it will be the second full moon in a calendar month, something that happens where there are 13 full moons in one calendar year. However, a fourth and final supermoon will occur on September 29—the “Harvest Supermoon.”

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.