Supermoon dazzles skywatchers this weekend

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The "Supermoon" put on quite a show for skywatchers this weekend!

A supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon or a new moon with the closest approach the moon makes to the Earth on its elliptical orbit, resulting in the largest apparent size of the moon's disk as seen from Earth.

The term "supermoon" is not astronomical, but originated in modern astrology.

The association of the Moon with both oceanic and crustal tides has led to claims that the supermoon phenomenon may be associated with increased risk of events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. However, the evidence of such a link is widely held to be unconvincing. 


On Sunday morning, June 23rd, at 6:32 a.m., the moon reached its closest distance to the Earth -- which is about 222,000 miles away.

During that time, the moon appeared about 14% larger and 30% brighter than the average full moon.

This full moon will be the closest and largest full moon of the year. It also presents the moon’s closest encounter with Earth for all of 2013.

The moon will not be so close again until August 10, 2014.