From Frankfurt and New York to Istanbul and Beijing, last night’s sky gazers enjoyed an impressive astronomic spectacle: a beautiful supermoon suspended over the horizon.
God made the Sun and Moon and the entire universe in order to show His power and majesty. (Genesis 1:14-16, Psalm 19:1) For those paying attention and giving credit where credit is due, events like the supermoon reveal just how creatively glorious He is.
Each year, residents of Earth can experience 12-13 full Moons. Of those, three or four might be supermoons.
A supermoon is a full Moon that occurs at nearly the same time as the Moon’s closest approach to the Earth. The relatively near matchup results in the Moon’s appearing larger than normal. The technical name for this celestial happening is perigee syzygy (PEH-ruh-jee SIH-zuh-jee)—which is super fun to say.
Some people call the supermoon a “Strawberry Moon” because it’s the full Moon at strawberry harvest time for many parts of the world that grow the red fruit.
Last night’s perigee syzygy made the lunar orb loom larger than many people are used to seeing. At times, the Moon appeared slightly orange-colored as it lit skies around the globe.
In Frankfurt, the supermoon rose behind the German city’s banking district’s skyline, while in Beijing the city’s roof decorations depicting sacred beasts were silhouetted in sharp black by the Moon.
The supermoon also illuminated New York City’s Statue of Liberty and shone on the pillars of the ancient temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion south of Athens, Greece.
As large and luminous as last night’s supermoon was, the Moon can get even closer and appear even bigger. In fact, if you’re gazing at the night sky on December 6, 2052, you just might see the largest one of the 21st century!
Did you see the supermoon last night?
(The Strawberry Moon rises in front of the Statue of Liberty in New York late Tuesday, June 14, 2022. AP/J. David Ake)
