An aircraft passes in front of the moon, with a red glow attributable to smoke particles carried in the upper atmosphere from North American wildfires, a day ahead of the full super moon, as seen from Parliament Hill in London, Britain, Aug. 18, 2024. TOBY MELVILLE/REUTERS

A rare spectacle began Sunday night as an August supermoon blue moon rose into the sky.

The first of 2024's four consecutive supermoons, the blue moon - also known as the Sturgeon Moon - was expected to reach peak illumination on Monday and shine brightly through Wednesday.

According to NASA, 100% of the moon's nearside will be illuminated on Monday, and 99% will be illuminated on Tuesday.

Here are some photos of the rare phenomenon from around the world.


A rare blue supermoon appears in the night sky over Sydney on Aug. 19, 2024. SAEED KHAN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES


Two women watch a nearly full supermoon rise over the Tagus River from the roof of the Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 18, 2024. ARMANDO FRANCA/AP


People view the moon as it rises, with a red glow attributable to smoke particles carried in the upper atmosphere from North American wildfires, a day ahead of the full super moon, at Parliament Hill in London, Britain, on Aug. 18, 2024. TOBY MELVILLE/REUTERS


The first supermoon of 2024 rises on the evening of Aug. 19, 2024 in Yichang, Hubei Province, China. CFOTO/FUTURE PUBLISHING VIA GETTY IMAGES

The Hunter's Moon will peak on Thursday, Oct. 17 and the final supermoon – known as the Beaver Moon – will peak on Friday, Nov. 15.