Quick Pics - Super moon on the Hi-Line

The supermoon shines over Havre Monday.

The supermoon shining through high clouds lights up the Milk River at the Rookery Wildlife Area. The brightest moon in almost 69 years is lighting up the sky around the globe this week. The phenomenon known as the supermoon reached its peak luminescence in North America before dawn Monday. The moon orbits the Earth in an oval shape. The moon was at its brightest this week because it came closer to the Earth along its elliptical orbit than at any time since January 1948. The supermoon also brought stronger than usual high tides, followed by plunging low tides the next morning. Viewers can expect to see a moon about 14 percent larger in diameter and about 30 percent brighter than when it's at its farthest distance from the earth. It won't be as big and bright again for another 18 years. According to the astronomy website earthsky.org, the term supermoon entered usage five years ago when the closest full moon fell on March 19, 2011. The scientific term is perigee full moon. In 2034, the moon will come even closer, within 221,485 miles. That, too, will be a supermoon.