Photos: Images from around the world capture the size and beauty of Sunday's supermoon
The supermoon lit up night skies around the world on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017, drawing awe from many spectators.
A supermoon is a full moon that falls near or on perigee, the point in the moon’s orbit where it is closest to the Earth. This causes it to appear slightly larger and brighter than normal.
An optical illusion, known as the "moon illusion," makes the moon appear even larger when it is close to the horizon compared to when it is high in the sky.
Sunday's moon was the first of three consecutive supermoons. The next two will occur on Jan. 1 and Jan. 31, 2018.
Photos from around the world capture the stunning event.
A supermoon rises in front of a replica of the Statue of Liberty sitting atop the Liberty Building in downtown Buffalo, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
The moon rises in its waxing gibbous stage behind a statue atop the Erie County Court Building, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, in Buffalo, N.Y. The Dec. 3 full moon will be the first of three consecutive supermoons. The two will occur on Jan. 1 and Jan. 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
The supermoon rises behind the mountain range seen from Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017. The Dec. 3 full moon will be the first of three consecutive supermoons. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)
The supermoon rises behind the Uppatasanti Pagoda seen from Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)
The supermoon is seen in the sky while a farmer walks with cows in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)
The moon rises over a building in Netanya, Israel, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
An aircraft passes in front of the moon, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017 in Washington. (NASA)
