Story by the Associated Press; curated by Dave Urbanski
Look! Up in the sky! It's supermoon!
A perigee moon, also known as a supermoon, rises over a crescent of a minaret of grand Faisal mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, July 12, 2014. The phenomenon occurs when the moon is near the horizon and appears larger and brighter than other full moons. (Image source: AP/Anjum Naveed)
Because our celestial neighbor is relatively close to Earth, these full moons will appear to be unusually large. That distance varies because the moon follows an elliptical orbit. When it's close and full, it appears bigger and brighter than normal, although the difference can be hard to detect.
The full moon Saturday may seem huge, but it's just an illusion caused by its position in the sky.
Two other supermoons will come later this summer on Aug. 10 and Sept. 9.
Here's a report from KTLA-TV in Los Angeles on Friday:
