Photos capture stunning supermoon as Kiwis enjoy rare lunar spectacle

Last night's supermoon was the largest and brightest of the year. Photo / Rakesh Kumar Pulickal

Kiwis planning to watch Guy Fawkes fireworks light up the sky were in for a more spectacular sight last night, with the largest supermoon of the year visible across the country.

“Tonight is the largest and brightest supermoon of the year,” Stardome New Zealand said in a post to social media yesterday.

“Be sure to catch the full moon rising during sunset in the east with a brilliant red hue.”

Photos shared to social media captured the special sight.

Last night's supermoon was the largest and brightest of the year. Photo / Rakesh Kumar Pulickal

The Guardian reported the moon would be just under 357,000km from Earth – the nearest full moon of the year and therefore the largest supermoon.

Snapped the full Moon with my Flip 6 phone a few minutes ago. Next Launch: Electron from NZ tomorrow at 12:45 pm MST/1945 UTC. Going to my mom's in the desert tomorrow also. Goodnight! pic.twitter.com/xAvbGVDK3d

— Justin Davenport (@Bubbinski) November 5, 2025

It said it would appear 8% larger and 16% brighter than average.

Kiwis were treated to the red-hued moon. Photo / May Nate Nad

It was the second supermoon this year after last month’s Harvest Moon and is one of four in four consecutive months.

Stardome astronomer Josh Aoraki told RNZ there were usually a few supermoons each year.

“The term ‘supermoon’ is more of a media term than a scientific one,” Aoraki said.

“The scientific term for what we are describing is what’s called perigee and apogee, they are the two points where the moon is at its closest and its furthest to Earth, and that’s because the moon’s orbit is elliptical. When you get the moon at its closest point during a full moon, that’s when we have a ‘supermoon’.”