Supermoon 2016

Last night, and later tonight, skywatchers around the world will be treated to views of this year's so-called "supermoon," the largest full moon of the year. Today, on November 14, at 6:20 am Eastern time, the moon approached within 356,500 km (221,500 mi) of Earth, in what is scientifically known as a perigee-syzygy of the Earth-Moon-Sun system (perigee: closest point of an elliptical orbit; syzygy: straight line made of three bodies in a gravitational system). Though the moon does appear larger than normal, the size difference is so small that a casual observer would probably never notice. Nonetheless, photographers across the globe set out to capture the event, and collected here are 21 of the most super images of this year's supermoon. If your skies are clear, be sure to look up around moonrise tonight.

Read more
Hints: View this page full screen. Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.

Most Recent

  • Kyodo / Reuters
    • In Focus
    • Sep 5, 2018
    • 21 Photos

    Images of the Destruction Left by Typhoon Jebi in Japan

    Yesterday, the most powerful typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years tore through the western part of the country with heavy rain and violent winds.

  • Leo Correa / AP
    • In Focus
    • Sep 4, 2018
    • 28 Photos

    In Photos: The Smoldering Remains of Brazil's National Museum

    Photos from the scene of a fire that burned through the 200-year-old National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, destroying countless artifacts.

  • Ahn Young-joon / AP
    • In Focus
    • Aug 31, 2018
    • 35 Photos

    Photos of the Week: Bog Snorkeling, Air Guitar, Canadian Calf

    Competition in the 2018 Asian Games, the new tallest statue in the world under construction in India, memorials for both Aretha Franklin and Senator John McCain, and much more

  • Lukas Bischoff Photograph / Shutterstock
    • In Focus
    • Aug 30, 2018
    • 24 Photos

    Photos: Along the Namibian Coast

    Namibia has nearly a thousand miles of coastline, shaped by the winds and largely unpopulated, where the Namib Desert meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Most Popular on The Atlantic

  1. This Is a Constitutional Crisis
  2. We're Watching an Antidemocratic Coup Unfold
  3. How Well-Intentioned White Families Can Perpetuate Racism
  4. Congressional Republicans Are the Real Authors of the Anonymous Op-Ed
  5. Why Does the School Day End Two Hours Before the Workday?
  6. The Woodward Book Puts a Target on Mattis's Back
  7. Why Technology Favors Tyranny
  8. Woodward’s Account of Trump’s Mock Interview With Prosecutors Isn’t Pretty
  9. It’s Time for the Press to Stop Complaining—And to Start Fighting Back
  10. The Absurdist Spectacle of the Nike Boycotts
Back to Top