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Supermoon closes out the first day of the year

Posted at 7:37 AM, Jan 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-02 07:37:28-05

The fireworks may be long gone but the first supermoon of 2018 is illuminating the skies across the world.

NASA is calling this the “biggest and brightest” one for the entire year and so far it isn’t disappointing.

The phenomenon “supermoon” occurs when the moon becomes full on the same day it reaches its perigee, the point in the moon’s elliptical orbit when it is closest to Earth.

Stargazers are sharing their images of this full moon on social media and they sure are giving those fireworks videos posted Sunday night a run for their money.

“The moon looked magnificent,” said David Blanchflower, who snapped a photo of it in the United Kingdom. “Dominating the night sky with its incredible brightness. Awe-inspiring.”

If you miss January’s first full moon — nicknamed a wolf moon — don’t worry, there’s another one this month, on the 31st.