CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A rare blue supermoon -- the closest full moon of the year -- dazzled stargazers Wednesday night.
A peacock sits on a chimney as a nearly full moon rises behind it, in Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.
Saturn joined the celestial spectacle, visible alongside the moon, at least where skies were clear.
It was the second full moon of August, thus the blue label. And it was unusually close to Earth, therefore a supermoon.
A rare Blue Supermoon rises over Lake Michigan as spectators watch from Chicago's 31st Street beach Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
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.
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.
PHOTOS: Rare blue supermoon dazzles stargazers around the globe
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
The supermoon rises near the equestrian statue of Damdin Sukhbaatar on Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
Athens, Greece
The supermoon rises behind the ancient temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, about 45 miles south of Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis
Gaza City, Palestine
The supermoon rises in the sky over the houses of Gaza City, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
AP Photo/Adel Hana
Moscow, Russia
The August Super Blue Moon sets behind a historical building and the St. Basil's Cathedral, right, as people walk in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko
Ujue, Spain
The moon known as blue moon rises behind the small village of Ujue, northern Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos
Rome, Italy
A supermoon rises over the Colosseum in Rome, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia
Montevideo, Uruguay
A supermoon rises over Montevideo, Uruguay, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico
Lisbon, Portugal
People watch a supermoon rise above Lisbon, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
AP Photo/Armando Franca
U.S. Open, New York
A super moon rises behind Arthur Ashe Stadium during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in New York.
AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
Kansas City, Missouri
The full moon rises beyond a sign in the outfield during a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo.
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
San Francisco, California
A blue supermoon rises between the Salesforce Tower and the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
AP Photo/Eric Risberg
