Sturgeon supermoon of 2022 stuns viewers around the world (photos)

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It's the last one of 2022.

moon rising behind building
The Sturgeon supermoon sets behind St. Peter's Basilica in Rome on Aug. 11, 2022. (Image credit: Virtual Telescope Project)

Viewers around the world took amazing footage of 2022's last supermoon.

Among the viewers was Gianluca Masi, the founder of the Virtual Telescope project, who conducted a full moon livestream of the Sturgeon supermoon yesterday (Aug. 11).

"Despite the clouds, I could image and share with our community the Sturgeon
supermoon while it was setting behind the St. Peter's Dome and Basilica in Rome,
Italy," Masi wrote in a statement. (You can see the picture just above.)

While some were concerned about how the full moon washed out the highly popular Perseid meteor shower, which peaks tonight (Aug. 12), the moon still attracted a lot of attention around the world.

Moongazers in Europe, the United States and other places showed images of Earth's closest large neighbor rising near buildings, trees and lakes. The supermoon is slightly larger than the usual full moon, although it's hard to spot the difference without advanced equipment.

Take a look at some of our favorite community images below. 

Related: The brightest planets in August's night sky: How to see them (and when) 

supermoon behind eiffel tower

The Sturgeon supermoon of August 2022 rises behind the Eiffel Tower in France. (Image credit: Adnan Farzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

airplane in front of supermoon

An airplane flies in front of the Sturgeon supermoon on Aug. 11, 2022, as seen in West Orange, New Jersey. (Image credit: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

supermoon

The Sturgeon supermoon rises over New York City on Aug. 11, 2022. (Image credit: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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The August full moon officially peaked Thursday (Aug. 11) at approximately 9:36 p.m. EDT and 6:36 p.m. PDT (Friday at 0136 GMT). The moon was within 90% of its closest approach to Earth, making it a "supermoon" according to eclipse expert Fred Espanak, who is also a retired NASA astrophysicist. 

The event followed three supermoons in a row this year, in May, June and July. Such a streak can happen fairly often. Espanak's website shows that 2023 will also see four consecutive full supermoons, as will 2024. That said, the definition of "supermoon" can vary depending on who you are talking to.

If you're looking for a telescope or binoculars to observe the moon, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. If you're looking for camera tips, consult our astrophotography for beginners guide.

Editor's Note: If you snap a photo of the Sturgeon supermoon and would like to share it with Space.com's readers, send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. 

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook.

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Elizabeth Howell
Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 specializing in Canadian space news. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.