Last night, the Hunter's Moon graced our skies. And it wasn't an ordinary moon either: it was a supermoon, shining up to 14% larger than your average full moon. It was the perfect thing to get us in the mood for Halloween (although unfortunately, the full moon and Halloween won't land on the same date until 2020).
Full moons happen every 29 to 30 days (29.53 days, to be exact), when the earth is positioned between the sun and the moon. When the moon is positioned perfectly in line with the sun and the earth, we end up with a lunar eclipse — the earth's shadow blocks the sun's illumination of the moon, causing it to go dark.
The full moon is beautiful, mysterious, and steeped in mythology. Nowadays though, it's also something we love to capture with our cameras. We've rounded up 35 of our favorite photos of the full moon, from lunar eclipses to amazing shots of last night's bulbous super-moon. Read on for a look at images captured by NASA, professional photographers, and casual moon-admirers alike. (And if you want ideas for how to take your own photos of the full moon this weekend on your iPhone, this astronomer has some great tips here.)
This piece originally published October 14, 2016.
In New York City, last night's supermoon looked unreal as it hovered over the city skyline.
Photo: @brianthechen/Instagram.
As last night's Hunter's Moon rose into the sky, its colors evolved from fiery red to glowing orange.
Photo: @cfukuda/Instagram.
The supermoon looked like a giant, pumpkin-like orb in the sky over Washington, DC last night.
Photo: @cfukuda/Instagram.
Last night's Hunter's Moon shone 14% larger than your average full moon.
Photo: @5230882/Instagram.
The bright moon rise at dusk in the Sedona desert, next to a closeup of last night's moon.
Photo: @sconniestrong/Instagram.
The full moon on February 7, 2012 looked exactly like a giant pumpkin in the sky — at least from Arlington National Cemetery.
Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA.
The Hunter's Moon on October 12, 2011 cast a long reflection in the water.
Photo: Robert Minkler/Flickr.
The Blood Moon of September 28, 2015, as captured in The Hague. Intense.
Photo: Maurits Verbiest/Flickr.
This past June's Strawberry Moon glows behind a pine tree. On this occasion, we got a full moon the same night as the summer solstice.
Photo: Alan Levine/Flickr.
A Super Moon stalks the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC on March 19, 2011. A Super Moon happens when a full moon falls on the same date that the moon is also closet to earth in its elliptical orbit.
Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA.
The Harvest Moon of September 19, 2013 looked especially pink as it rose into the sky.
Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA.
A big yellow moon rose over San Francisco's Bay Bridge on May 24, 2014.
Photo: Eric Sonstroem/Flickr.
On Aug. 31, 2012, a rare Blue Moon peeked through the clouds over Cincinnati.
Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA.
How perfectly spooky-looking is this Super Moon? It was captured on June 23, 2013, in Washington, DC.
Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA.
A total lunar eclipse signaled the winter solstice on December 21, 2010.
Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA.
On the Blue Moon of July 31, 2015, NASA caught a plane flying in front of the giant yellow orb.
Photo: Joel Kowsky/NASA.
Scheduled to launch the next day, the Antares rocket was captured on July 12, 2014 next to a stunning orange full moon. It was loaded with 3,000 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station, and it took off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Photo: Aubrey Gemignani/NASA.
The only thing better than a Super Moon? A Super Moon and a lunar eclipse happening at the same time, like they did on September 27, 2015, captured here in Washington, DC. (And this won't happen again until 2033!)
Photo: Aubrey Gemignani/NASA.
Here's that same Super Moon, right when the lunar eclipse was beginning, captured in New York City. A Super Moon is also called a Perigee Moon.
Photo: Joel Kowsky/NASA.
The Super Moon shines over the Empire State Building on September 27, 2015.
Photo: Joel Kowsky/NASA.
Just one more shot of that amazing Super-Moon-lunar-eclipse hybrid. The last time this happened was in 1982.
Photo: Aubrey Gemignani/NASA.
Notice anything different about this detailed image of our moon? It's a composite of nine frames, shot on August 2, 2015, and you can see the International Space Station (ISS) traversing across it.
Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA.
On March 11, 2009, an almost full moon guards the space shuttle Discovery on its launch pad in Cape Canaveral, FL.
Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA.
With just a little bit of haze, even a full moon in the middle of summer (June 12, 2014) can feel eerie.
Photo: Rachel Kramer/Flickr.
In this photo, you can see all the stages of the October 2014 lunar eclipse (and Blood Moon).
Photo: krheesy/Flickr.
Clouds obscure the moon's cratered appearance in this shot from August 10, 2014.
Photo: Phil John/Flickr.
A close-up of the November 2014 full moon.
Photo: Marion Hobbs/Flickr.
The October 2014 lunar eclipse, captured roughly a minute after the total eclipse began.
Photo: Glenn Beltz/Flickr.
The cloudy September Harvest moon as seen from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in 2013.
Photo: Debbie Mccallum/NASA/Goddard.
The man in the moon took on a yellowish hue on November 7, 2014.
Photo: Marion Hobbs/Flickr.
On July 16, 2008, the moon peeked out from thick, gray clouds along the Texas coast.
Photo: Ray Bodden/Flickr.
The way the moon illuminated the clouds with white and red was a fascinating effect in this shot, from New South Wales, Australia, in 2008.
Photo: Emily Jayne/Flickr.
You may not think of Hawaii for spooky moon photos, but this black-and-white capture of the moon (behind eucalyptus trees on Maui on August 9, 2014) certainly captures the eerie vibe.
Photo: Forest and Kim Starr/Flickr.
The moon, partially illuminated but still fully visible, as seen on March 11, 2016.
Photo: Auvo Korpi/Flickr.
On April 21, 2016, a hazy red moon graced the skies over Virginia.
Photo: Virginia State Parks/Flickr.
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