Nicky Blackburn
November 15, 2016

It was a cloudy start, but people across Israel didn’t let that dampen their enthusiasm for Monday night’s supermoon, the biggest and brightest moon seen since January 1948, four months before the country was founded.

The supermoon, which peaked in Israel at 6pm, was a breathtaking sight, and both amateur and professional photographers were out in force to see it.

While the supermoon phenomenon is not rare because the moon’s orbit of earth is elliptical, this was the closest the moon has got to earth for many years. At its height, the moon was a distance of 356,509 kilometers from Earth, compared to 406,000 kilometers at its furthest point on the orbit.

The next time there will be such a close encounter with the moon will be in November 2034, when the moon is predicted to be 356,446 kilometers from Earth.

The supermoon rising over Tel Aviv. Photo by Miriam Alster/FLASH90
The supermoon rising over Tel Aviv. Photo by Miriam Alster/FLASH90
Supermoon at the Church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem. Photo by Nati Shohat/Flash90
Supermoon at the Church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem. Photo by Nati Shohat/Flash90
The supermoon rises over the Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem's Old City. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
The supermoon rises over the Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem’s Old City. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

Fighting for Israel's truth

We cover what makes life in Israel so special — it's people. A non-profit organization, ISRAEL21c's team of journalists are committed to telling stories that humanize Israelis and show their positive impact on our world. You can bring these stories to life by making a donation of $6/month. 

Jason Harris

Jason Harris

Executive Director

More on supermoon