5 Dec 2017

Did you catch a glimpse of the supermoon?

7:54 am on 5 December 2017

Photographers and skywatchers in New Zealand and across the world have enjoyed views of the supermoon lighting up the night sky.

The supermoon seen in Yangon on 4 December.

The supermoon seen in Yangon, Myanmar, on 4 December. Photo: AFP

The fine weather around New Zealand allowed many people to see last night's supermoon rise around 9pm.

The full moon was at its closest to Earth, making it look bigger and brighter than usual.

It's the largest, brightest moon in 70 years.

At the exact moment of full moon, it was 358,499km from Earth, closer than the average distance of 384,472km.

Last night's supermoon is one of a series of three - the other two at the beginning and end of January, and the last featuring a total lunar eclipse visible from western North America across the Pacific to Eastern Asia.

The supermoon behind the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

The moon rising over the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Photo: AFP

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, Niwa has red-alerts for king-tides for the whole week because of the supermoon.

It said they normally peaked one or two days after a new moon or full moon.

Some Auckland ferry services will be replaced with buses because of the supermoon's pull on tides. The supermoon causes both higher and lower tides. Low tides mean no ferry services between downtown and Half Moon Bay on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

A supermoon is seen in the night sky over Beijing, on 3 December.

The view on 3 December in Beijing. Photo: AFP