Supermoon puts on show in Nevada and around the world

The moon came closer to Earth than at any other time since 1948.

A supermoon is an astronomical event when the full moon of a given month occurs at the same time the moon is at perigee, or the Moon’s closest point to the Earth for a given month. “Since the moon is full, it’ll rise at almost the same time as sunset, so I’d suggest that you head outside after sunset or once it’s dark and the moon is a bit higher in the sky”.

And in Cairo, Egypt skywatchers witnessed as it rose in the eastern skies. This is because the moon is, astronomically speaking, close to Earth at a mere 356,553 kilometres away. A supermoon, also known as a perigee full moon, can be up to “14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than an apogee full moon”, according to NASA. This means that sky-gazers will have to wait by 2034 before the next super moon after 2016.

Scientists anticipated that the gravitational forces that would be pushing and pulling the moon during the November 14 supermoon event would cause slightly higher tides to be formed in oceans.

The moon rises behind the castle of Almodovar in Cordoba, southern Spain, on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016.

This week’s event is the biggest and best in a series of three supermoons.

The moon will be at its closed to the Earth at 11.21am today, but it is expected to be most visible when skies get darker at around 4.45pm.

“I’ve been teaching school children all morning, and every single one of them was asking me about the supermoon”, she said. The first was on 16 October and the third is due on 14 December.

It appeared around 14% larger and 30% brighter than this year’s smallest full moon back in April. This one is special for another reason – it is the only full moon close approach this year. The two extreme points of the orbit each month are known as the lunar perigee and apogee.