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Photos: Rare blue supermoon dazzles stargazers around the globe

Saturn joined the celestial spectacle, visible alongside the moon, at least where skies were clear.

The blue supermoon sets over the White Mountain National Forest at sunrise.
The blue supermoon sets over the White Mountain National Forest at sunrise, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, in Carroll County, New Hampshire. AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

By MARCIA DUNN, Associated Press


A rare blue supermoon — the closest full moon of the year — dazzled stargazers Wednesday night.

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.

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.

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The supermoon rises behind the ancient temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
The supermoon rises behind the ancient temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) south of Athens, Greece, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. – AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis

A Supermoon is seen on the sky as a woman walks on the street.
A Supermoon is seen on the sky as a woman walks on the street, in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. – AP Photo/Themba Hadebe

A supermoon rises over a headstone at a cemetery.
A supermoon rises over a headstone at a cemetery in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. – AP Photo/Mark Baker

A rare Blue Supermoon rises over Lake Michigan.
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

A blue supermoon rises between the Salesforce Tower and the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.
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

A supermoon rises over Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
A supermoon rises over Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. – AP Photo/Vincent Thian

A peacock sits on a chimney as a nearly full moon rises behind it.
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.

The full moon rises beyond the Martyrs statue, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon.
The full moon rises beyond the Martyrs statue, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. – AP Photo/Hussein Malla

The full moon rises beyond a sign in the outfield during a baseball game.
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

Akıncı unmanned aerial craft passing in front of the Supermoon.
Akıncı unmanned aerial craft passing in front of the Supermoon during a demonstration flight on the first day of Teknofest technology and aerospace festival in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. – AP Photo/Emrah Gurel

The supermoon rises in the sky over the houses of Gaza City.
The supermoon rises in the sky over the houses of Gaza City, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. – AP Photo/Adel Hana

The moon known as blue moon rises behind the small village of Ujue.
The moon known as blue moon rises behind the small village of Ujue, northern Spain, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. – AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos

A supermoon rises over the Colosseum in Rome.
A supermoon rises over the Colosseum in Rome, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. – AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

The supermoon rises near the equestrian statue of Damdin Sukhbaatar on Sukhbaatar Square in 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

The August Super Blue Moon sets behind a historical building and the St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.
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

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