Supermoon hangs in the summer sky

The supermoon rises over houses in Olvera, in the southern Spanish province of Cadiz, on Saturday.

BLAIR GABLE | REUTERS | BDN

BLAIR GABLE | REUTERS | BDN

A supermoon is seen over the Rideau Canal on Saturday in Ottawa.

NEW YORK — A supermoon rose above cities from Los Angeles to London on Saturday night, the first of three times this year that the full moon will orbit nearer the earth and appear unusually large and bright.

The supermoon is technically known as a “perigee moon,” and it occurs when the moon is full as it reaches perigee, the point of its orbit closest to the earth, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a statement. It looks largest when it’s closest to the horizon —Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Once upon a time, my mom, who's a retired social worker, used to run a program called the Waikiki Friendly Neighbors. The program coordinated volunteers to assist the sick and the elderly in Waikiki (that would be Hawaii...for anyone who wondered)...especially those who lived in high rises (which is pretty much all there is in deep, downtown Waikiki) and couldn't easily get out and around. Just before the end of my sophomore year in high school, in 1987, my parents bought their very first home...which began the era of bringing a some of the "friendly neighbor" spirit to our house every Thanksgiving. I can't even tell you what year my parents started their big Thanksgiving celebrations, but whenever it was, from that year on, we