CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Monday’s supermoon is the first of four this year.
During a supermoon, the full moon inches a little closer than usual to Earth. A supermoon isn’t bigger, but it can appear that way in the night sky, although scientists say the difference can be barely perceptible.
The supermoon rises behind the Dome of the Rock shrine at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
The supermoon rises behind the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio, south of Athens, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)
A supermoon rises over the horizon of Lake Michigan as a person walks by in Milwaukee, Wis., Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
September’s supermoon will coincide with a partial lunar eclipse. October’s will be the year’s closest approach, and November’s will round out the year.
The supermoon appears behind the statue on Place de la République, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
More a popular term than a scientific one, a supermoon occurs when a full lunar phase syncs up with an especially close swing around Earth. This usually happens only three or four times a year and consecutively, given the moon’s constantly shifting, oval-shaped orbit.
Residents watch the supermoon rise over the “Memorial JK,” a monument in honor of the founder of Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
The supermoon rises from behind a resident building in Berlin, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
A statue of Poseidon and supermoon are seen from Kastellet in Copenhagen Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
