BOULDER, Colo. — If you got the chance to look outside Sunday night, you might have noticed the moon was extra bright.
When the moon’s orbit is the closest to Earth during a full moon phase, it results in a phenomenon known as a supermoon.
When it happens, the moon appears larger and brighter than a typical full moon. Sunday, an even more supermoon lit up the night sky.
The supermoon is the closest a full moon has been to Earth since 1948.
“It makes your eyes peel off the screen that you’re maybe staring at right now,” moon watcher Valerie Szarek said.
Szarek joined a group for a Supermoon Convergence party at Sunrise Amphitheater on Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder.
They played drums and Native American flutes to welcome and honor the rare moon.
“You know, there is so much beautiful stuff around and we just get caught up in our regular day and in our cars and buildings. It’s just nice to get out and get connected back to where we should be,” Andrea Peterson said.
Photographers lined the stage at the amphitheater to snap photos of the supermoon. The sky was clear, giving moon watchers a perfect view.
The moon appears the largest when it rises from the horizon in the east at sunset, around 4:30 p.m.
It remains in the sky for the duration of the night and gets brighter as the sky gets darker.
For the best view, get away from light pollution and go somewhere high up with a clear view to the east. Colorado’s foothills are a perfect spot to moon gaze.
The next time a supermoon will be as big and bright as the one this month will be in 2034.