SCIENCE

The Photos of the Rare Supermoon/Lunar Eclipse Convergence Do Not Disappoint

Take in the majesty of the unusual astrophysical event with these photos captured around the world

Maya Wei-Haas

Reporter

September 28, 2015

The supermoon glows strong over Jerusalem. Omer Messinger/NurPhoto/Corbis

The moon shows its ruby face above the Beacon Mill in Brighton, England. Luke Dray/Demotix/Corbis

The moon makes a bloody halo for this statue in Venice. Simone Padovani/XianPix/Corbis

The supermoon glitters over the Brooklyn Bridge, competing for attention with bright New York lights. Julia Reinhart/Demotix/Corbis

Passengers aboard this plane in Los Angeles, California, transit the sky E.T. style—with a glowing supermoon backdrop. Ringo Chiu/ZUMA Press/Corbis

Shining 30 percent brighter than normal, the supermoon lights up the skies over the Mid-Autumn Festival in Korla City, China. Imaginechina/Corbis

The supermoon peeks through the clouds behind a statue in Ryazan, Russia. Alexander Ryumin/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis

Three hours of the lunar eclipse captured as the moon transitioned from silver to red over London, England. Malcolm Park/Demotix/Corbis

The supermoon shines out over rubble in Gaza City. Wissam Nassar/Xinhua Press/Corbis

The ruby coloring of the moon rivaled for attention with the Trinity Church in Arendal, Norway. Birgit Fostervold/Flicker

People around the world gathered to photograph and ogle the bright red glow of last night’s supermoon lunar eclipse. Ralph Arvesen/Flicker

The supermoon makes an appearance above the Washington Monument. Aubrey Gemignani/NASA/Flicker

Larger than life, the supermoon is projected in a planetarium in Madrid, Spain. Marcos del Mazo/Demotix/Corbis

The moon left mouths agape around the world last night, larger and brighter than usual and glowing a melodramatic blood red—a spectacle that will not be seen again until 2033. This unusual occurrence was a rare mashup of a super-sized full moon and a total lunar eclipse, when the moon passes through Earth’s shadow. Even during a total eclipse, some of the sun’s rays filter through our atmosphere, leaving the moon with a spooky blood-red glow. Last night’s eclipsed moon was the last in a lunar eclipse tetrad, earning it the popular moniker "blood moon."

The greater size and brightness of last night’s supermoon can actually be seen at least once a year, when the full moon passes closest to the Earth in its elliptical journey around the planet. When the moon is in this position, called a perigee, it casts a silvery glow 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than when the orb is furthest away.

Though a supermoon or a lunar eclipse may not be rare on its own, the stars don’t often align for these events to occur in tandem. Since 1900, a supermoon lunar eclipse has only occurred five times, with the ruby orb last showing its enlarged face in 1982.

The Photos of the Rare Supermoon/Lunar Eclipse Convergence Do Not Disappoint — None