Visible in Mexico, Turkey and China, the supermoon seen on the night of August 19-20 is the first in a series of four this year. In September, it will coincide with a partial lunar eclipse.
The term “supermoon” is not an astronomical term and has no precise definition. It was coined in 1979 by Richard Nolle, an astrologer, and has since been used regularly in the English-language press to designate the moment when the Moon’s perigee passage (its closest point of approach to the Earth) coincides with the full moon.
![Over Bogota, Colombia, on August 19, 2024.]()
Over Bogota, Colombia, on August 19, 2024. Luis Acosta / AFP ![People gather to watch the supermoon in White Sands National Park near Alamogordo, New Mexico, US, August 19, 2024.]()
People gather to watch the supermoon in White Sands National Park near Alamogordo, New Mexico, US, August 19, 2024. JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ / REUTERS ![A man reads as the supermoon rises in White Sands National Park near Alamogordo, New Mexico, US, August 19, 2024.]()
A man reads as the supermoon rises in White Sands National Park near Alamogordo, New Mexico, US, August 19, 2024. JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ / REUTERS ![Above the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion, near Athens, Greece, August 19, 2024.]()
Above the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion, near Athens, Greece, August 19, 2024. LOUIZA VRADI / REUTERS ![On the Bund promenade in Shanghai (China), August 19, 2024.]()
On the Bund promenade in Shanghai (China), August 19, 2024. HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP ![Above the historic Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkey, August 19, 2024.]()
Above the historic Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkey, August 19, 2024. UMIT BEKTAS / REUTERS ![Copenhagen, Denmark, August 19, 2024.]()
Copenhagen, Denmark, August 19, 2024. THOMAS TRAASDAHL / VIA REUTERS ![Copenhagen, Denmark, August 19, 2024.]()
Copenhagen, Denmark, August 19, 2024. THOMAS TRAASDAHL / VIA REUTERS
