On Saturday night, July 12, you may have noticed that the moon looked unusually large.
That’s because it was the “supermoon,” which happens when two phenomenon occur at the same time: the full moon and the “perigee moon.” The perigee moon is when the moon passes closest to earth causing it to look about 14% larger and 30% brighter than usual. It looks even larger when it hangs low over the horizon, as it does when it is rising, for reasons scientists can’t completely explain.
Don’t worry if you missed it though. You can catch another supermoon on August 10 and September 9.
Until then, check out our favorite pictures from this past weekend below:
Below, the moon rises over houses in Olvera, Spain.
REUTERS/Jon Nazca
Here, the supermoon makes its way into the sky over downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
REUTERS/Dave Kaup
In Beirut, Lebanon, the moon crosses behind a decorative lantern celebrating the Muslim holy month, Ramadan.
AP Photo/Hussein Malla
In Malaga, Spain, a stork uses the supermoon as backlighting.
REUTERS/Jon Nazca
The moon rises over the city in Manhattan.
REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
In Las Vegas, Nevada the moon sets over the western skies.
REUTERS/Gene Blevins
Below, the supermoon crosses paths with the Tokyo Sky Tree in Japan, the tallest broadcasting tower in the world at over 2,000 feet tall.
REUTERS/Yuya Shino
Here, the supermoon rises over Somoskoujfala castle northeast of Budapest, Hungary.
AP Photo/MTI,Peter Komka
In Los Angeles, the supermoon lurks behind fans at a baseball game.
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
The moon even loomed large the day before, on July 11, when this plane took off from New York.
AP Photo/Nick Ut
In Macedonia, a man watches the supermoon rise over Dojran Lake.
AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski
Cars zipped past as the moon rose over Memorial Bridge in Washington D.C.
AP Photo/J. David Ake
The moon appears giant next to Los Angeles’ Mt. Wilson Observatory.
Getty Images/David McNew / Stringer
Super blue blood moon appears over Tokyo, poses with Skytree, other landmarks for beautiful pics
The late, great David Bowie visits Kyoto in these shots taken in the 1980s【Photos】
Heartbreaking photos inside the bedrooms of children who died in last year’s South Korean ferry disaster
Amazing castle photo ever shows why you shouldn’t skip this often-overlooked part of Japan
Photos of Antarctica captured by Japanese photographer KAGAYA are absolutely stunning!
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
30 Pikachus want to share a Tokyo hotel room with you that has separate Grass, Water, Fire spaces
Studio Ghibli celebrates the magic of movie theaters with short video, Hayao Miyazaki illustration
Lawson convenience store at popular tourist site is one of the most unusual in Japan
Drink vending machines disappearing in Japan as number drops to lowest in 30 years
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Japanese politician arrested on charges of accepting bribes to reduce number of monkeys in park
You can assemble a well-balanced team of Pokémon, them eat them, thanks to Japanese cake chain
Which Gundam is the favorite for fans in different countries? Gundam election announces results
Off-the-beaten-tourist-track observatory tower in Tokyo has great views of the city…for free!
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Starbucks Japan closing only Shinkansen platform branch for popularity-triggered renovations
Two food hacks take Japan’s convenience store fried chicken to amazing new sandwich heights
7-Eleven Japan’s new baked-in-store sweet treat is only available in three parts of the country
Man bites woman at cherry blossom park in Japan, dies shortly after
Peanuts and Coke becomes a viral hit in Japan, but is it a trend worth joining?
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Astronaut Kimiya Yui’s photos tweeted from the International Space Station are simply stunning
Japanese photographer captures beauty of Tokyo after dark in atmospheric photo collection
What’s going on in this brain-breakingly beautiful cherry blossom temple photo?
“Miraculous” cloud over Mt Fuji stuns the Internet
Amazing photos of off-the-beaten-path Japanese castles to add to your travel wish list【Photos】
Asakusa photo studio transforms visitors into courtesans, geisha and samurai
The 6 volcanoes most likely to destroy, like, everything (guess which country has the most)
This amazing photo of the Japan Alps only gets more beautiful the higher you look
Use this simple trick to create awesome photos of holiday lights this winter!
Instagram’s famous #FollowMeTo couple capture the beauty of their trip to Japan【Pics & Video】
Photo of snowy Japanese temple wows people around the world
Mt Fuji photo tricks the eye by looking like a moody ink painting
10 places in Japan so beautiful it’s practically hard to take a bad picture while you’re there
Quiz time! How many of these photos of Japanese places can you identify?【Photos】
Japanese company caught out for over-processing autumn leaves photo at popular tourist site
Is Japan’s “Hai, Cheese!” photo culture becoming obsolete?