A rare blue supermoon — the closest full moon of the year — dazzled stargazers Wednesday night.
Saturn joined the celestial spectacle, visible alongside the moon, at least where skies were clear.
The blue supermoon rises over the tower of Roca Vecchia in Lecce, Italy, on Aug. 30, 2023. Photo by Manuel Romano/ NurPhoto via Getty Images
It was the second full moon of August, thus the blue label. And it was unusually close to Earth, therefore a supermoon.
The moon appeared to be bigger and brighter than usual, given its close proximity to Earth: just 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) or so. The Aug. 1 supermoon was more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) farther away.
An astronomer watches as the blue moon rises over Taman Ismail Marzuki, in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo by Mas Agung Wilis/ NurPhoto via Getty Images
The super blue moon occurs when the moon is at its closest position to the Earth and is brighter than normal. Istanbul on Aug. 30, 2023. Photo by Cagatay Kenarli /dia images via Getty Images
If you missed it, it will be a long wait: The next blue supermoon isn't until 2037. But another regular supermoon is on the horizon at the end of September, the last one of the year.
The super blue moon rises over The Wallace Monument in Stirling, Scotland. Blue moons occurs approximately once every two or three years. Photo by Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images
The moon rises behind the pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Photo by Amr Abdallah Dalsh/ Reuters
The full moon viewed from Leeds, England. Photo by Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images)
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