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What to Know About the Single Most Amazing Photo of the Supermoon

2 minute read

You surely never wished you lived near Glastonbury tor in Glastonbury, England, but after the supermoon eclipse on Sept. 27, that may have changed. This stunning image of the moon at dusk, rising behind the town’s tor—or rocky hill—and its 14th century tower might be the best of what was a very good night for photographers worldwide. In this image, a couple of natural visual tricks were at work.

MORE: See the Entire Supermoon Eclipse in 9 Seconds Flat

For starters, there was the foreshortening of perspective that seemed to flatten the tower against the moon, as if they both stood at the same distance. More important was a trick a rising (or setting) moon (or sun) plays on the eye. The closer either body is to the horizon, the larger it looks, because the familiar buildings, trees and other objects around it provide scale. The higher the moon or sun climbs, the more it seems to shrink in the empty sky. But if you measure the total number of degrees the moon measures in the entire 180-degree, horizon to horizon arc, it’s just one half of one degree—and that’s true whether it’s at the horizon or high in the sky. In the days of the Apollo program, a few of the astronauts dubbed this the “Lovell effect,” after Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, who first explained the phenomenon to them.

Whatever the name, during the supermoon eclipse, the cosmic illusion made for an extraordinary image.

See the Best Photos of the Once in a Generation Supermoon Eclipse

A super moon rises in the sky near the Eiffel tower as seen from Suresnes, Western Paris
A super moon rises in the sky near the Eiffel tower in Paris on Sept. 27, 2015.Charles Platiau—Reuters
A Total Lunar Eclipse Spawns Blood Supermoon
The supermoon rises behind Glastonbury Tor in Glastonbury, England, on Sept. 27, 2015 Matt Cardy—Getty Images
supermoon lunar eclipse september 2015
Reindeer are seen silhouetted against the supermoon during the lunar eclipse near the village of Yavterishki, some 250 kilometers north from Minsk on Sept. 28, 2015.Sergei Gapon—AFP/Getty Images
A flock of birds fly by as a perigee moon, also known as a super moon, rises in Mir, Belarus, 95 kilometers (60 miles) west of capital Minsk, Belarus, late Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015. The full moon was seen prior to a phenomenon called a "Super Moon" eclipse that will occur on Monday, Sept. 28. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
A flock of birds fly by as a super moon rises in Mir, 60 miles west of Minsk, Belarus, on Sept. 27, 2015. Sergei Grits—AP
Perigee Moon/Lunar Eclipse
The super moon next to the Empire State Building on Sept. 27, 2015 in New York City.Joel Kowsky—NASA
Supermoon Lunar Eclipse
The super moon behind the Washington Monument on Sept. 27, 2015 in Washington.Aubrey Gemignani—NASA
A Total Lunar Eclipse Spawns Blood Supermoon
The Supermoon is seen during the early stages of the Lunar Eclipse near Big Ben on Sept. 28, 2015 in London.Joseph Okpako—Getty Images
supermoon eclipse september 2015
Clouds pass over the Supermoon as it is partially eclipsed over Cape Town on Sept. 28, 2015.Mike Hutchings—Reuters
supermoon lunar eclipse september 2015
The Supermoon appears red as it is covered by the Earth's shadow during the total lunar eclipse over Paris on Sept. 28, 2015. Charles Platiau—Reuters
supermoon lunar eclipse september 2015
The supermoon appears red during the total lunar eclipse in the sky over Port-of-Spain on Sept. 27, 2015.Andrea de Silva—Reuters

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Write to Jeffrey Kluger at jeffrey.kluger@time.com