Supermoon is Trending on Social Media

by Mitch Schneider
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Last night we all became stargazers. As we stepped outside, we got to see a full moon closer to the Earth than it has been in more than 20 years.

Just what is a supermoon that so many people are talking about? The supermoon is when the full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to the Earth during its elliptical orbit around us. At its closest, the full moon is about 14 percent wider and 30 percent brighter than it is at its farthest.

Thanks to EarthSky.com, we learned that supermoon is not an astronomical term. Richard Nolle came up with the term 30 years ago. So what do astronomers call supermoon? They call them perigee full moons, as perigee means “near Earth.” Last night’s supermoon will be the second in a trio of supermoons, with one having happened on Jul 12 and the next due to appear on Sep 9.

When it comes to social media, the hashtag #supermoon2014 was trending as people shared their images. They were coming in full force! We’ve compiled some supermoon pictures from Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Instagram. We couldn’t post every picture, but here are some, in our opinion, that really stood out.

Post by University of San Diego.

 

Post by Keith Kuder.

 

Remember, just because the moon looked bigger doesn’t mean your supermoon photos have to be. Slim down your photos and save some precious storage space (without losing any quality).

Did you take any supermoon pictures last night? Share them with us! Did we miss your favorite post from last night?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section or on Twitter, Google+, or Facebook where we are always listening.

Categories: Photography