The supermoon is seen rising behind the Soyuz rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad in Kazakhstan Monday.
11 Striking Pictures of This Week's Supermoon
Don't miss your chance to see the biggest, brightest moon in 68 years.
On November 13 and 14, the world is treated to the brightest supermoon in 68 years. And the pictures coming in are stunning (see above).
The term supermoon refers to a full moon that coincides with the lunar orb’s closest approach to Earth, or perigee. And the last time it was this close to the Earth was in 1948.
Supermoons tend to look larger and brighter in the sky, offering a rare treat for sky gazers.
The variability is caused by the fact that the moon's orbit around the Earth is egg-shaped and slightly irregular, making for times when it is closer or farther away from us. At its closest point this cycle, at 6:21 a.m. ET (11:23 UT) on November 14, the moon will be just 221,524 miles from Earth, as measured from the center of both bodies. (Get tips on photographing a supermoon.)
The full moon won’t get this close to us again until November 25, 2034. And the closest full moon to Earth this century will occur on December 6, 2052, when our celestial neighbor will be just 221,472 miles away.
