Skygazers took to high-rise buildings, observatories and beaches Monday to get a glimpse of the closest "supermoon" to Earth in almost seven decades, and snap dramatic pictures. The unusually big and bright moon appeared at its most impressive as night fell over Asia, but astronomy enthusiasts will be able to see Earth's satellite loom large anywhere in the world shortly after sunset.
The phenomenon happens when the moon is full at the same time as, or very near, perigee - its closest point to Earth on an elliptical, monthly orbit. It was the closest to Earth since 1948 at a distance of 356,509 kilometres (221,524 miles), creating what NASA described as "an extra-supermoon".
Skygazers and photographers headed to the best viewing spots in Asia, where the phenomenon was visible first, hoping that cloudy skies and the perennial pollution that blights many of the region's cities would not spoil the fun. The eastern Sydney suburb of Bronte became an unexpected viewing spot as thousands of people armed with picnic mats and cameras packed its small beach near Bondi to catch a glimpse of the supermoon after a Facebook invite went viral. Loud cheers went up among the crowd as the moon made brief appearances between heavy, grey clouds before disappearing.
"It's really nice," Aidan Millar-Powell told AFP of the festive, community atmosphere at the beach. "People don't usually come together like this in Sydney for a natural phenomenon." Tourists, office workers and couples crowded the Hong Kong waterfront as the supersized moon rose over the skyscrapers of the financial hub, while further north in the Chinese capital Beijing the moon climbed spectacularly over the city's skyline.
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