New York City photographers captured breathtaking images of the Harvest Supermoon as it illuminated the Manhattan skyline over the weekend, creating dramatic shots that showcased the celestial event against iconic city landmarks. The spectacular lunar display occurred on Sunday and Monday, providing multiple opportunities for photography enthusiasts to document the phenomenon as it appeared unusually large and bright over the metropolitan area.
A supermoon occurs when the Moon reaches its full phase while positioned at perigee, the closest point in its orbit to Earth. This astronomical alignment makes the Moon appear approximately 10 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than a typical full moon. Photographers often employ telephoto lenses with powerful zoom capabilities to create a compression effect, making the Moon appear dramatically larger in relation to foreground objects such as buildings and landmarks.
Photographer Gary Hershorn captured stunning images of the Harvest Supermoon rising behind the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn skyline on Monday evening. His portfolio also includes shots of a person riding an electric hydrofoil as the supermoon rose in the background. The previous day, Hershorn photographed a 98 percent illuminated waxing gibbous Moon positioned behind the EdgeNYC observation deck, where visitors were participating in the City Climb experience atop 30 Hudson Yards.
Meanwhile, photographer Mike Carroll achieved a remarkable shot of a United Airlines aircraft appearing to fly directly through the supermoon, with the plane's wake creating an effect that made the lunar surface appear to shimmer. Carroll utilized a Sigma 300-600mm f/4 DG OS Sports lens to achieve the telephoto compression necessary to bring the aircraft and Moon into dramatic proximity. The night before the peak supermoon, Carroll also captured Earth's natural satellite rising behind the distinctive Jenga Building in New York City.
Photographer Dan Martland contributed his own impressive collection of supermoon images, including a shot of a British Airways aircraft that appeared to be riding on top of the Moon's surface. Martland also photographed the massive lunar disk rising above midtown Manhattan, with an interesting billboard visible in the foreground. "No problem getting it up tonight," Martland commented on social media platform X. Additionally, he captured the Harvest Moon as it set behind the historic Lackawanna Hoboken Train Terminal, commenting "Good Mooning" alongside his post.
According to Space.com, the Harvest Moon designation refers specifically to the full moon that occurs nearest to the autumn equinox. This traditional naming stems from historical agricultural practices, when farmers would take advantage of the bright moonlight reflected from the lunar surface to extend their working hours in the fields during the critical harvest season. The extended illumination allowed them to continue gathering crops well into the night, maximizing their productivity during this crucial time of year.
