NEW YORK — The full moon on Saturday was unusually big, big enough to be a ''supermoon.''
That's the nickname for full moons that happen when our celestial neighbor is relatively close to Earth. That distance varies because the moon follows an elliptical orbit. When it's close and full, it appears bigger and brighter than normal, although in fact the difference can be hard to detect.
Saturday's moon seemed huge close to the horizon, but that was just an illusion caused by its position in the sky.
The full moon took place at 7:25 a.m., according to NASA.
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Two other full moons this summer, on Aug. 10 and Sept. 9, are also supermoons.
It's not all that unusual to have a supermoon. There were three in a row last year.
Social media images of the supermoon
@BostonGlobe Super moon over Boston. pic.twitter.com/Gtrq60ExKw
— Daniel Avery (@DAverysgr8) July 12, 2014
@BostonGlobe @jadewalker Not Boston, not USA, but here's how #moon looks In #Brisbane, Australia! via @shelleymlloyd pic.twitter.com/t2S4bIiikc
— Jen King (@lifeasinzy) July 12, 2014
@BostonGlobe Super moon rising over the Atlantic at sunset. pic.twitter.com/YFVXKV2Xlz
— Kati Machtley (@wsdirector) July 12, 2014
@BostonGlobe northwest corner of Connecticut at 5:30 am pic.twitter.com/BogHw8bh2E
— CT zookeeper (@ctzookeeper) July 12, 2014
@BostonGlobe Full moon in Venice Beach pic.twitter.com/e5c5UwJr2S
— Ginger Beard (@Gingerbeard66) July 12, 2014
@BostonGlobe in #PortlandOregon pic.twitter.com/dwISuAXyCH
— Portland Planning (@PortlandPlan) July 12, 2014
Pink hues of dusk as a #supermoon rises over #Boston as seen from #ArlingtonMA cc @BostonGlobe pic.twitter.com/nElzfyNHzn
— Ram Subramanian (@2RamSubramanian) July 12, 2014
@BostonGlobe #supermoon #eastham #firstEncounterBeach pic.twitter.com/VB0IiGksge
— Fleet Hill (@FleetHill) July 12, 2014
@BostonGlobe Ruidoso, New Mexico. pic.twitter.com/hAN0sJdgIt
— Jeff Lahann (@coyotelaw65) July 12, 2014
. @BostonGlobe #supermoon from South Jordan, Utah pic.twitter.com/BvwGNrgkAp
— Nick Newman (@nicknewman801) July 12, 2014
@BostonGlobe it's looking good in the city! pic.twitter.com/qsDaiuAFCV
— Lisa Roberts (@LiselTheWeasel) July 12, 2014
Nice of the super moon to shine so bright over the Atlantic in honor of The Return of the King #LeBron pic.twitter.com/7SgXZXlehY
— Ben White (@morningmoneyben) July 12, 2014
Moon rising, from a DC -> NYC flight tonight pic.twitter.com/X9ZzToAgRH
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 12, 2014
@BostonGlobe #FullMoonRising over the Atlantic. #cedarbeachmarina #BabylonLI pic.twitter.com/AoPEeX5oF5
— Lisa Lisa (@Lisalisa110) July 12, 2014
The moon is up/over one tree hill/we see the sun go down/in your eyes pic.twitter.com/X3QIbeOzYb
— John Heilemann (@jheil) July 12, 2014
@BostonGlobe pic.twitter.com/G5bVtBur1g Took this from my back porch in Somerville around 11 PM.
— Rubifruite Tiwesdægs (@freckles42) July 12, 2014
@BostonGlobe Moon from Coahuila México pic.twitter.com/2vM35CLlcG
— Jax Mendez (@JaxMendez) July 12, 2014
Watch: ‘Supermoon’ over ancient temple
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