Saturday's supermoon seen 'round the world (photos)

Moongazers the world over were in awe of Saturday's shining, shimmering lunar showing. Lucky for us, they took pictures.

Christopher MacManus

March 21, 2011 3:06 p.m. PT

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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20973954@N07/">JLMphoto/Flickr</a>

Atlanta

Moongazers the world over were in awe of Saturday's shining lunar showing, a super perigree moon that happens only once every 18 years or so. Lucky for us, they took pictures.

A photographer caught this image of a shimmering orange supermoon just as it crested the tree line behind the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu temple in Lillburn, Ga., outside Atlanta. An app on the photographer's iPad showed exactly where and when the moon would rise over the structure.

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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bernardchencom/">Bernard Chen/Flickr</a>

Washington, D.C.

It was thriller time in the capitol as an orange and red perigee moon rose over Washington, D.C. The moon has an elliptical orbit around the Earth; when the moon seems smaller and more distant, it's on the farthest side (apogee) of its orbit, while the perigee side is about 31,000 miles closer to Earth.

Bernard Chen said he found several hundred photographers at this location when he arrived with his camera gear in tow.

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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50357402@N03/">Beccy Chittock/Flickr</a>

Chelmsford, England

Beccy Chittock pulled over to the side of the road in Chelmsford, England, to snap this stunning photo of the supermoon using a Nikon D300S.

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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/imagonovus/">Carlos Gotay Martinez/Flickr</a>

Puerto Rico

This tree in front of the perigee moon looks simply surreal in Puerto Rico.

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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23630570@N03/">John Dykstra/Flickr</a>

Holland State Park

Here, an optical illusion almost makes it look like two moons are coming out of the lake near Holland State Park in Michigan.

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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/queenofcalamity/">queenofcalamity/Flickr</a>

Chelsea Bridge, London

This picture was snapped near the Chelsea Bridge in London, where the skies were lit up by a yellow perigee moon. The photographer says no colors were changed, only shadows lightened and contrast adjusted.