Supermoon 2012. Фоторепортаж.
For those patient enough to stay up, it was worth the wait.
These stunning pictures show this weekend’s ‘supermoon’, a phenomenon which causes the moon to appear bigger and brighter than usual.
The spectacle was captured at landmarks across the globe, including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and the Temple of Poseidon near Athens.
But there was one country that mostly missed out. Large swathes of Britain were covered in cloud when the lunar event took place, with only those in the North-East and South-West of England and Wales having any chance of spotting the phenomenon.
Scroll down to watch the 'supermoon' for yourself
Washington DC: Glowing over the U.S. Capitol Building in the American capital
Southern Hemisphere: The supermoon seen from Mount Eden in Auckland, New Zealand
Glowing guide: A runner makes his way along a trail in front of the once-a-year 'super Moon' at Papago Park in Phoenix, Arizona
Northern Florida: The moon peaks out behind Century Tower at the University of Florida in Gainesville
The 'supermoon' is seen behind the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro
Ornate: The full moon rises behind a steeple with crosses of an Orthodox church in the town of Novogrudok, Belarus
Beacon: Fishermen near Bal Harbour in Florida rest on a jetty as the moon rises in the Atlantic Ocean
Wafting: Seen massively larger than a landing plane at the Los Angeles International Airport in Inglewood, California, the moon balances itself among the palm trees
Chopper: In another part of Los Angeles, an LAPD chopper flies in the moon's foreground
Spotlight: The 'supermoon' shines its light on the temporarily closed Hotel Pere Marquette in Peoria, Ill
Rosy: In another perfectly timed shot, a rose bush in Los Angeles,California played in the moon's light, along with a small bug resting on a bud
The illusion, known as a perigee full moon, is caused by the moon travelling closer to the Earth than usual on its elliptical orbit.
When the moon appears at its biggest it will be 221,457 miles away, compared with its usual distance of 238,606 miles.
Scientists said that at optimum viewing time – 4.30am on Sunday – the moon appeared 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than when furthest away.Met Office forecaster Dan Grey said:
‘The moon appears the most spectacular when it sets. It sits on the
horizon next to houses or trees, which give scale to the image and make
it appear larger.’
Blue pallet: Rising over the Angel's Gate lighthouse in San Pedro, Calif, the moon appears to melt into the light blue sky and water
Dominating: North in San Francisco, the moon challenges Coit Tower
Power: In Palm Springs, California, the moon rose above ordinarily massive wind turbines
Ontario moon: The 'super Moon' is seen rising over the skyline in Toronto, offering a without a doubt unparalleled sight to those in the city's tall CN tower (left)
Brighter: The full moon rises like the Sun from the top of Haramoun mountain, as seen from Marjayoun village in south Lebanon earlier
Dr Robert Massey, of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: 'The eye is so good at compensating for changes in brightness that you simply don't notice that element so much. What you may notice is that the Moon will be a little bit bigger.'
Geoff Chester, of the US Naval Observatory, added the difference in appearance is so small 'you'd be very hard-pressed to detect that with the unaided eye.'
Dr Massey said it could still be worth glancing up at the sky tonight, adding: 'The moon is always beautiful and a full moon is always dramatic.'
Scientists also added that no matter how far away a full moon is, it is not going to cause natural disasters or make people go crazy, commit crimes or do anything else that popular belief suggests.
Psychologist Scott Lilienfeld, of Emory University in the US, said the notion of full moons causing bizarre behavior is one of the biggest myths because 'it's so widely held and it's held with such conviction.'
Replica: The full moon provides a stunning backdrop for Kosovo's answer to New York's Statue of Liberty on top a hotel in the capital Pristina this evening
Towering: This apartment block in Bucharest proved a great place to view the supermoon as it illuminated the night sky
View from the gods: The supermoon rises earlier today above the Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion, south east of Athens, Greece, while tourists watch on
Holy night: The brighter than normal moon was clear for all to see in Amman as a flock of birds flew over a mosque
Clear as day: Even before night fell over Dresden, eastern Germany, the moon was looking incredible behind the Church of Our Lady
Almost full: The moon is obscured by the cross of Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) in Dresden, Germany, this evening
He said a reason people cling to the idea could be the way people pay attention to things. If something unusual happens to occur during a full moon, people who believe the myth take note and remember, he argued.
But when another full moon appears and nothing out of the ordinary occurs, 'they're not very likely to remember' or point it out to others. So in the end, he said, all they remember are the coincidences.
The last supermoon, on March 19 last year, was about 240 miles closer than this year's will be. Next year's will be a bit farther away than this year's.
It will bring unusually high tides because of its closeness and its alignment with the Sun and Earth, and Dr Massey explained: 'When the moon is closest to the Earth and full or new, you get an increase in the tidal pull in the ocean because the gravity of the moon and the sun line-up.
Supermoon: The full moon appears pink as it appears behind statues of angels at St. Isaak's Cathedral in St.Petersburg, Russia, this evening
Hiding: Seen from Cartagena, Colombia, it can hardly be concealed behind the heavy clouds
Positioning: Other locations in Cartagena, shown, had a more clear view of its enormous sight
Bigger and brighter: The silhouette of a kite makes its way across the moon as it flies past a mosque in Amman tonight
Celestial neighbour: The supermoon in fill view in the sky above South Africa's largest city Johannesburg
Star gazing: The phenomenon is known as a perigee full moon but astronomers warn the 'relatively uncommon' celestial event may not amount to much
Full moon rising: The supermoon filled the sky over Jakarta in Indonesia, but skywatchers in the UK will have the best view at 4.30am tomorrow
Night sky: The perigee full moon peaks through the clouds above Huntsville, US, shining 30 per cent brighter than normal
Don't panic: Fears of a spike in crime or an increase in crazy behaviour have been dismissed as pure folklore.
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