Supermoon: ISS Photos From Space Show 'Squashed' Moon (SLIDESHOW)

By: Tariq Malik
Published: 05/08/2012 12:42 PM EDT on SPACE.com

Skywatchers on Earth weren't the only ones dazzled by the so-called weekend "supermoon" on Saturday. An astronaut in space also snapped spectacular photos of the full moon of May, including views of a squashed moon sinking behind the Earth's horizon.

Dutch astronaut André Kuipers photographed the supermoon of 2012 from a window on the International Space Station, where he has been living since December. He took the photos on Saturday, May 5, when the moon was in its full phase while at its perigee — the closest point to Earth in its orbit. Astronomers call the phenomenon a "perigee moon," though it is also known informally as a "supermoon."

One of Kuipers' supermoon photos captures the stunning moment when the moon dips toward Earth's horizon and is distorted by the planet's upper atmosphere, giving it an odd, squashed look. 

"Supermoon sinking into the atmosphere," Kuipers wrote in a Twitter post for the photo.

A later snapshot reveals the moon as little more than a squashed dome as it slips behind the Earth as viewed from the space station. "Flattened moonbeams," Kuipers wrote in a photo description. [More Supermoon Photos of 2012]

Other photos by Kuipers show May's bright full moon shining over a blue Earth or, in another view, framed against the stark blackness of space. The astronauts even captured a video of the supermoon from space.

"The blue colors of our atmosphere are a beautiful contrast with the supermoon," Kuipers wrote.

At the time, the moon was about 221,802 miles (356,955 kilometers) from Earth, with astronomers predicting it could appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than average to observers on Earth. On average, the Earth is about 230,000 miles (384,400 km) from the moon.

Saturday's supermoon occurred when the moon hit its perigee point for May — which is the closest lunar perigee of 2012 — at 11:34 p.m. EDT (0334 Sunday GMT), and then hit the peak of its full phase one minute later.

The last supermoon occurred on March 19, 2011. On that night, the moon was even closer to Earth by about 248 miles (400 km).

Kuipers is one of three astronauts currently living on the International Space Station, and has been a prolific space shutterbug during his mission. NASA astronaut Don Pettit — who is also snapping stunning photos of Earth from space — and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko round out the crew. Kononenko is commanding the trio's Expedition 31 mission.

You can follow SPACE.com Managing Editor Tariq Malik on Twitter @tariqjmalik. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

• Stunning Photos: Earth from Space by Astronaut André Kuipers
• Moon Master: An Easy Quiz for Lunatics
• Skywatching Telescopes and Accessories

Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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• Bailey Island, Maine

  View of the Bailey Island Cribstone Bridge and the supermoon.

• SUPERMOON over Frankfurt ,Germany.

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Kevin_Kain"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/508059869/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Kevin_Kain">Kevin Kain</a>:<br />Big MOON over Frankensteiner Platz, Sachsenhausen-Nord, Frankfurt am Main. Frankfurt, Germany

• Supermoon Over the Haight

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Susan_Leas_Latham"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/100000400611255/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Susan_Leas_Latham">Susan Leas Latham</a>:<br />Looking west from Stanyan and Page Street, San Francisco.

• Super Moon & Sandhill Cranes

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/imtruthmonger"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://i.huffpost.com/profiles/955553-tiny.png?20101230100445" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/imtruthmonger">imtruthmonger</a>:<br />Sandhill cranes traverse the face of the super moon. San Luis Valley, Colorado

• moon over Arroyo Hondo Mesa, New Mexico

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Ron_Hagg"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Ron_Hagg">Ron Hagg</a>:<br />Great to be here

• A "supermoon" is seen above the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, May 6, 2012. A supermoon is the coincidence of a full moon (or a new moon) with the closest approach the moon makes to the Earth. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

• Super Moon Lake Havasu City

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Cory_Michael_Hall"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/1757992258/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Cory_Michael_Hall">Cory Michael Hall</a>:<br />Super Moon 2012 Lake Havasu City

• The full moon rises behind the Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion, south east of Athens, Greece, while tourists watch, on Saturday, May 5, 2012. Saturday's event is a "supermoon," the closest and therefore the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. (AP Photo/Dimitri Messinis)

• Moon Appears Bigger And Brighter, As Its Closer To Earth Than Normal

  PALM SPRINGS, CA - MAY 5: A perigee moon, or supermoon, rises behind wind turbines on May 5, 2012 near Palm Springs, California. The moon appears especially big and bright during this once-a-year cosmic event as the full moon is at its closest to the Earth in its elliptical orbit. The perigee side of its orbit is about 31,000 miles closer than the opposite, or apogee, side. The bright light of the full moon also hides all but the brightest meteors of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, the remnant debris trail of Halley's Comet. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

• Big Moon Budapest

  Budapest Moon

• A supermoon lights up Waikiki and Diamond Head Saturday, May 5, 2012, in Honolulu. A "supermoon" event happens when the moon is closest to the earth therefore the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)

• Super Moon

  May 4, 2012 over Palmer Alaska

• Dublin City, Ireland

  Supermoon over Marino, three miles north of Dublin City, Ireland. The small light is the top of the Spire monument on Dublin's O'Connell Street - in the centre of the city!

• A fisherman casts a line from a jetty as the "supermoon" appears over the Atlantic Ocean, Saturday, May 5, 2012, near Bal Harbour, Fla. The moon was the closest it will get to the Earth this year _ and appeared 14 percent larger because of that. At its peak it was about 221,802 miles from Earth. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

• The "supermoon" appears behind a steeple with crosses of an Orthodox church in the town of Novogrudok, 150 km (93 miles) west of Minsk, Belarus, late Saturday, May 5, 2012. The moon was the closest it will get to the Earth this year _ and appeared 14 percent larger because of that. At its peak it was about 221,802 miles from Earth. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

• Moon over Pawtucket

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/RobertinBeirut"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://s.huffpost.com/images/profile/user_placeholder.gif" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/RobertinBeirut">RobertinBeirut</a>:<br />This was taken from Central Falls, over the downtown area of Pawtucket, RI.

• Super Moon in Chicagoland

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Druuna"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://i.huffpost.com/profiles/1336379-2-tiny.png?20110427170134" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Druuna">Druuna</a>:<br />Super Moon May 5th, 2012 in Chicagoland

• Hartsgrove, Ohio

• Super moon Ft Smith AR

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Lodza"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/1284260836/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Lodza">Lodza</a>:<br />

• Livermore, Maine

  Taken at moonrise.

• The full moon rises behind Statue of Liberty replica atop of a hotel in Kosovo's capital Pristina on Saturday, May 5, 2012. On Saturday, the moon will be a "supermoon" or perigee moon as the moon is at it's closest approach to the earth. ( AP Photo / Visar Kryeziu )

• Livermore, Maine

  Taken at moonrise.

• Westhaven Supermoon

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Rob_Youngblood"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/1832788374/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Rob_Youngblood">Rob Youngblood</a>:<br />SuperMoon over Franklin, Tennessee

• The full moon rises in the clouds behind statues of angels fixed at the St. Isaak's Cathedral in St.Petersburg, Russia, Saturday, May 5, 2012. Saturday's event is a "supermoon," the closest and therefore the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

• Supermoon 2012

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/JanetBS"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/twitter_profile_img/3189175.png" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/JanetBS">JanetBS</a>:<br />Supermoon over Northern VA breaking through the clouds.

• Full Perigee Moon

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Joel_Caplan"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/883935213/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Joel_Caplan">Joel Caplan</a>:<br />From Savannah GA about 10:45 EDT

• The "supermoon" appears over the landmark Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, India, Saturday, May 5, 2012. The moon was the closest it will get to the Earth this year _ and appeared 14 percent larger because of that. At its peak it was about 221,802 miles from Earth. (AP Photo/ Rajanish Kakade)

• My #SuperMoon

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Thalin_Lea"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/yahoo_profile_img/2244009.png" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Thalin_Lea">Thalin Lea</a>:<br />

• Desert Moon, Yuma, Arizona

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/jennahassan"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/aol_profile_img/3189206.png" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/jennahassan">jennahassan</a>:<br />And the desert whispered to the moon, "bring back the ocean."

• The moon rises Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville Fla., on Saturday, May 5, 2012. (AP Photo/The Gainesville Sun, Matt Stamey)

• Marino, Ireland

  Simone Rapple

• Brookline, MA

  James Spear

• Maple leaves are silhouetted by the "supermoon" in Spring Lake Township, Mich., Sunday, May 6, 2012. The moon was the closest it will get to the Earth this year _ and appeared 14 percent larger because of that. At its peak it was about 221,802 miles from Earth. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Cory Morse) ALL LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL TV INTERNET OUT

• Chattanooga, TN

  Phyllis Scott

• Charleston, S.C.

  Via Donna W.

• The 'Supermoon" rises over the Angel's Gate lighthouse in San Pedro, Calif. Saturday night. The moon will come within about 221,802 miles (357,000 kilometers) from Earth. That's about 15,300 miles (24,600 kilometers) closer than average. (AP Photo/Chuck Bennett, Daily Breeze)

• Leesburg, VA

  Leah Kosin <a href="http://leesburg.patch.com/" target="_hplink">Leesburg Patch</a>

• Omaha, NE

  Via Pat.

• Supermoon over Calais, Vermont

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/vtphotoguy"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://i.huffpost.com/profiles/320695-tiny.png?20100701232123" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/vtphotoguy">vtphotoguy</a>:<br />Moonrise over the peaks of Plainfield, from nearby Calais, Vermont. Tim Seaver/Vermontphoto

• Uppsala, Sweden

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Bjorn47"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/702667588/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Bjorn47">Bjorn47</a>:<br />Supermoon as seen from Uppsala, Sweden a few hours ago.

• The "supermoon" appears over Vancouver, British Columbia Saturday May 5, 2012. The moon was the closest it will get to the Earth this year _ and appeared 14 percent larger because of that. At its peak it was about 221,802 miles from Earth. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)

• Supermoon

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Kari_Koji"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/100001947155004/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Kari_Koji">Kari Koji</a>:<br />Supermoon in Greeley, Colorado! Amazing

• Cottonwood ARIZONA

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Richard_G_Bolt_Iii"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/1253949099/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Richard_G_Bolt_Iii">Richard G Bolt Iii</a>:<br />Supermoon 2012

• #supermoon

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Ahura_Mazda"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/yahoo_profile_img/1143523.png" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Ahura_Mazda">Ahura Mazda</a>:<br />

• Montana Big Sky Country

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/firewmn"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://i.huffpost.com/profiles/258322-2-tiny.png?20100131224803" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/firewmn">firewmn</a>:<br />Supermoon in the Big Sky...

• Supermoon over Anglin's Fishing Pier

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Edward_Oest"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/100001892959705/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Edward_Oest">Edward Oest</a>:<br />Supermoon over Anglin's Fishing Pier, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida. E Oest

• from Andover. MA

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Teejaye46"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://i.huffpost.com/profiles/2532006-tiny.png?20120409193947" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Teejaye46">Teejaye46</a>:<br />

• Super Moon

  The moon rises over the Renkert Building, Saturday, May 5, 2012 in Canton, Ohio. The biggest and brightest full moon of the year arrives Saturday night as our celestial neighbor passes closer to Earth than usual. (AP Photo/The Repository, Scott Heckel) MANDATORY CREDIT

• supermoon from tampa florida

  <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/May_Lafranchi"><img style="float:left;padding-right:6px !important;" src="http://graph.facebook.com/1015404955/picture?type=square" /></a><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/May_Lafranchi">May Lafranchi</a>:<br />

Related on HuffPost:

Comments

[musicmasterno1]

02:19 PM on 06/23/2012

Another example of how "eyewitness" accounts don't always reflect reality.

[Kalum Truett]

01:14 AM on 05/10/2012

Anyone else think that looks like Jack Skeleton a bit?

[FromBeyondUrAnus]

03:43 PM on 05/09/2012

I think at times like this we have to ask ourselves, would the moon take embarrasing photos of us if it had the opportunity? For shame.

[hemipwr54]

12:43 PM on 05/09/2012

Two NASA pundits were walking when one turns to the other and ask, "Which do you think we should fund? Feeding the Homeless or Moon base? The second snaps around in amazement that a NASA pundit could be so stupid and says. "Du-uh ... we can SEE the Moon"!

[KrautMan]

12:45 PM on 05/11/2012

You could make such jokes about every bit of research humans have undertaken over the millennia. And it would be fo0lish every time.

[taoistpunk]

07:41 AM on 05/12/2012

two huff post commenters were talking and one looks at the other and says, "what do you think is more distant, a hemipwr54 "joke" from funny, or the moon. to which the second replies, "Du-uh... a flat-earthers like hemipwr54 wouldn't know funny if it bit him in the moon."

[hemipwr54]

12:36 PM on 05/09/2012

And here we go more useless NASA junk, spend 100 billion plus to put up a picture portal, useless as the acronym NASA can be.
NASA the falling star that is burning up about to disintegrate.

[Jarrod Putnam]

08:05 PM on 05/09/2012

Yeah a space station, what junk. Please just stay in your cave and please, please do not have children.

[ThinkCreeps]

10:21 AM on 05/10/2012

Sadly, the international space station is indeed junk.

Just think what that $100bn could have done for exploration and discovery if it hadn't been spent on this redstate pork.

[Edwin Keever Jr]

12:04 PM on 05/09/2012

Superman XXX The super Moon!

[antipodal2u]

11:40 AM on 05/09/2012

'Fascinating captain'

[d1952nj]

11:15 AM on 05/09/2012

Two blondes were walking when one turns to the other ans asks, "Which do you think is closer, Florida or the Moon? The second blonde snaps around in amazement that her friend could be so stupid and says. "Du-uh... we can SEE the Moon"!

[antipodal2u]

11:40 AM on 05/09/2012

Rofl

[Tava524]

11:56 AM on 05/09/2012

lol

[hemipwr54]

12:38 PM on 05/09/2012

Truly the blondes must be NASA pundits.

[Canefighter]

11:03 AM on 05/09/2012

I saw that moon here, was real cool looking. I also have seen many pictures. Nature can produce many natural sights. I am glad we have the technology to capture them on film.

[heldt666]

10:07 AM on 05/09/2012

Super moon? I thought at first it said supermom, and the astronauts were filming her new porn from outer space. Any closer would be unbearable.

[Leond]

11:15 AM on 05/10/2012

Who's supermom?

[rkeeeballs]

10:02 AM on 05/09/2012

This would be our new home if only Newt was to be POTUS !

[BRETT3066]

12:41 PM on 05/09/2012

the moon is where obama is going to move to in january. also, what is wrong with going back to the moon?

[ThinkCreeps]

10:23 AM on 05/10/2012

GRAIL is mapping the moon's gravity, filling in about the last thing we don't know about it. There's nothing much more to see or do on the moon.

[Mouse223]

09:59 AM on 05/09/2012

Very cool! Never seen that before!

[taoistpunk]

06:40 AM on 05/09/2012

supermoon my butt. that's obviously the mothership.

[antipodal2u]

11:41 AM on 05/09/2012

rofl

[theRainbow]

04:44 AM on 05/09/2012

say what, glennwantabe???

[theRainbow]

04:42 AM on 05/09/2012

only lonely single supermoon,
in far-far-away,
and yet, millions of visions from this society to that,
which makes the supermoon wondering,
"What??????? fantasy much??????"

wait... is glennwantabe skylysaying sumthing delusionally as always?