ATLANTA — The October supermoon may have peaked on Thursday morning, but the moon was still clearly visible Friday morning over Atlanta.
The 11Alive SkyTracker picked up a clear sightline of the moon over the horizon.
According to the Associated Press, the full lunar phase Thursday was the third of four supermoons this year.
Take a look at the video and pictures from Friday morning below:
What is a supermoon?
More a popular term than a scientific one, a supermoon occurs when a full lunar phase syncs up with an especially close swing around Earth. This usually happens only three or four times a year and consecutively, given the moon’s constantly shifting, oval-shaped orbit.
A supermoon obviously isn’t bigger, but it can appear that way, although scientists say the difference can be barely perceptible.
How do supermoons compare?
There’s a quartet of supermoons this year.
The one in August was 224,917 miles (361,970 kilometers) away. September's was nearly 3,000 miles (4,484 kilometers) closer the night of Sept. 17 into the following morning. A partial lunar eclipse also unfolded that night, visible in much of the Americas, Africa and Europe as Earth’s shadow fell on the moon, resembling a small bite.
October's supermoon is the year’s closest at 222,055 miles (357,364 kilometers) from Earth, followed by the November supermoon at a distance of 224,853 miles (361,867 kilometers).
Scientists point out that only the keenest observers can discern the subtle differences. It’s easier to detect the change in brightness — a supermoon can be 30% brighter than average.