On Monday, 14 November 2016 the Moon came the closest to the Earth in almost 60 years. At 356,511 km, the moon wasn’t just the closest and brightest supermoon of 2016 but also the largest since 1948!

What Is A Supermoon?

A full moon occurs each month when the sun, Earth and moon line up, with the Moon on the side of the Earth opposite to the sun. The term “supermoon” is used to describe a full moon at its perigee – the point in the moon’s orbit when it is closest to Earth, causing it to appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter in the sky.

Supermoon 2016 As Seen From Hong Kong

In order to get a glimpse of this phenomenon, my wife and I went up to Victoria Peak on the night of 14 November 2016. By the time we got there, the Moon was already high up in the sky. There was absolutely no opportunity for me to shoot it alongside Hong Kong’s skyline.

Nevertheless, I stood on top of the observation deck trying to capture the Supermoon in all its glory alongside other like-minded photographers.

Given my budget 55-200 mm lens, I think I was pretty impressed with the shots that I eventually captured. Of course it wasn’t as much fun as stargazing in Mauna Kea or capturing the Milky Way in New Zealand.

Bonus picture of the Hong Kong skyline – Once I got bored shooting the Moon, I decided to take photos of the most beautiful skyline in the world. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the clearest of nights in Hong Kong. I was very tempted to photoshop the full moon into this picture. But, of course, I resisted the temptation.

When Is The Next Supermoon?

#supermoon2034

Now that this Supermoon is out of the way, we’ve got to wait it out till the next one. You think you can wait till 25 November 2034? Well, you better set a reminder for that date.