The full moon appeared to be bigger and brighter than normal last night, thanks to a phenomenom known as a "supermoon". This occurs when the moon is closer to Earth than normal, thanks to its elliptical orbit.
Photographers around the world – and in space – captured dramatic photos of the supermoon. In this gallery, IBTimesUK publishes some of the best.
Oleg Artemyev, a Russian cosmonaut on the International Space Station, tweeted a series of images of the moon slowly disappearing behind the Earth, in what he called a "moonset".Oleg Artemyev/RoscosmosFireworks explode in front of the supermoon as the town of Mosta in Malta celebrates the feast of its patron saintDarrin Zammit Lupi/ReutersA huge new star seems to appear in the sky near the supermoon, but it's just the fireworks in Malta again.Darrin Zammit Lupi/ReutersA two-headed eagle, the national symbol of Russia, is seen in front of the supermoon as it rises over the towers of the Historical Museum in MoscowMaxim Shemeto/ReutersThe supermoon rises above the US Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, VirginiaWin McNamee/GettyThe supermoon rises over Tower Bridge in London.Paul Hackett/ReutersThe supermoon rises over the skyline of New York, as seen from the Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange, New JerseyEduardo Munoz/ReutersA perigree full moon, or supermoon, is seen over the The Peace Monument on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Washington DC.Bill Ingalls/NASAThe statue of a man and a boy, a monument dedicated to forest rangers, is silhouetted against the supermoon as it rises at the Sierra de las Nieves nature reserve in southern SpainJon Nazca/ReutersA tree in Brasilia is silhouetted against the rising supermoon.Ueslei Marcelino/ReutersThe supermoon is seen over Havana, Cuba.Enrique De La Osa/ReutersThe supermoon rises behind the roof of the Sydney Opera House in Australia.David Gray/ReutersThe full moon descends behind the Nossa Senhora da Penha Church in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Yasoyushi Chiba/AFPThe supermoon rises at Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, BrazilYasoyushi Chiba/AFPThe supermoon is seen behind a ferris wheel in Tokyo, Japan.Toru Hanai/ReutersThe supermoon rises behind Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, South Korea.Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters
