The giant strawberry moon lights up the sky, and it was the lowest moon of the year

A Strawberry Supermoon sweetened the sky this week.

The full moon began Tuesday morning around 7:52 a.m., and was at its closest point to Earth — or perigee — at 7:24 p.m. EDT, according to NASA.

He. She qualifies The space agency said it is a “giant moon,” which is when a full moon occurs during the period when the moon is at its closest point to Earth during its elliptical orbit.

The moon appears as the largest and brightest during Supermoon.

A giant moon rising behind the Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkey.Emrah Gurel / AP

It appears about 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than when the moon is at its farthest point in its orbit or at its apex.

This event will also be the lowest full moon on the horizon in 2022, NASA said.

Those who looked before 2 a.m. EDT on Wednesday may have caught the full moon when it was just 23.3 degrees above the horizon, NASA said.

On average, the Moon orbits at a distance of about 238,000 miles from Earth. But at perigee, it’s about 226,000 miles away — or about 12,000 miles closer to Earth.

There are other names, but the term “strawberry” comes from the US Farmers’ Almanac that published Native American names for full moons. The Algonquin tribes in the Northeast named it the Strawberry Moon because it coincides with the strawberry harvest, according to NASA.

The term “Supermon” was not coined until 1979.

Phil Hillsell is a reporter for NBC News.