The moon came closer to Earth than at any other time since 1948. The 'supermoon' reached its brightest in Asia on 14 November 2016. The Moon was closest, only 2 lakh 21 thousand 524 miles (356509 km) away at 11:21 GMT.
With this, the full moon came closest and appeared the largest in a period of 68 years. The day, gave an opportunity to sky-gazers around the world to assemble near landmarks, on beaches and atop tall buildings to have a look at the Super Moon (perigee full moon).
Last time, the moon came closer to earth on 26 January 1948 and next time it will come this close to Earth again on 25 November 2034. On that occasion, it will be even closer, that is, it will be at a distance of 2 lakh 21 thousand 485 miles.
What is Super Moon and why it turns up to be the largest and closest?
When the perigee, the closest approach, and the full moon coincide, it is known as a supermoon. The technical name for supermoon is the perigee-syzygy of the Earth–Moon–Sun system.
On the occasion when the moon turns up to be a supermoon, the moon comes close to Earth. It happens due to its process of orbiting the planet, which is elliptical, not circular. This elliptical orbit allows it to come closer than it is at other times.
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