Supermoon 2012 in photos
A so-called “supermoon” – an unusually bright and large moon – was visible across the world last night.
The supermoon rising over the ancient Greek temple of Poseidon at cape Sounion, some 60 kms south of Athens. Due to an unexplained effect known as the “moon illusion,” the Moon always appears larger near the horizon than it does higher up in the sky.
Aris Messinis
The phenomenon occurs when a full moon coincides with the point in the Moon's orbit at which it is closest to Earth. The result: the Moon appears up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than usual.