The summer of the supermoon draws to a close in sensational fashion
The final supermoon of 2022 did not disappoint on Thursday night as photographers all around the world captured beautiful images of the lunar spectacle.
One of the biggest and brightest full moons of the year illuminated the night sky around the world on Thursday night into Friday morning, with photographers everywhere snapping pictures of the viral astronomical sensation.
This week's supermoon was the third and final of the year, following up supermoons in June and July.
August's full moon is also known as the Sturgeon Moon, named after the time of year when sturgeon fish are often caught in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. Some people combined these nicknames to call Thursday night's event the Super Sturgeon Moon.
Regardless of its name, people who stepped outside on Thursday night witnessed great views of Earth's celestial companion.
One of the more captivating images of the event was time-lapse footage showing the year's final supermoon drenched in a pinkish hue and rising over the San Francisco skyline. The video was captured by Bay Area photographer Shreenivasan Manievannan, who framed his shot to include the city's Transamerica Pyramid so that the moon appeared to be rising right behind the iconic skyscraper.
As impressive as the supermoon was, the moonlight outshined the Perseid meteor shower, which also peaked on Thursday night. Some patient stargazers still managed to spot a few shooting stars throughout the night, but it was a far cry from the 60 to 100 meteors per hour that the Perseids can produce when stargazing conditions and weather conditions are ideal.
Meteors associated with the Perseids will continue to streak across the night sky throughout the rest of the month, although onlookers may only count a few per hour on cloud-free nights.
The next series of supermoons will not kick off until next summer with the first one of the year rising on July 3, 2023.
More Space and Astronomy:
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app.AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Report a Typo
