The supermoon shone over Australia on Saturday night, appearing bigger and bolder than usual as it approached the Earth at the closest point of its elliptical orbit.

Perry Vlahos from the Astronomical Society of Victoria said people should find an east-facing spot to best view the moon after it rises at 6.20pm.

Hey #Melbourne, stop looking at Twitter & look outside! The #supermoon is looking awesome. #fullmoon #arwooo pic.twitter.com/OOaYfvPuRg — Scienceworks (@scienceworks_mv) July 12, 2014

‘‘What people need to do is to find a spot that has a clear horizon towards the east – no trees, no buildings in the way,’’ Mr Vlahos said.

‘‘They need to be able to see right down the horizon.

‘‘Any east-facing beaches along the bay are good spots – anywhere that gives you a good horizon to the east."

Mr Vlahos said at its closest, the moon was about 353,000 kilometres from the Earth.

MT“@theage:Where&when to watch #supermoon in Melbourne tonight:http://t.co/TmPEMmrCQL” great to see it! #magnificent pic.twitter.com/Ly9M4DfvsI — Anette (@peteanet) July 12, 2014

While the percentage difference is small, an optical illusion can make the moon appear much larger near objects on the horizon.

Mr Vlahos said Williamstown and the Dandenongs provide good vantage points.

Other supermoons will be in August and September. The one on August 10 will be the biggest of the year, as the moon will be closest to Earth on that day.

Supermoon is a relatively recent term, likely first coined by an astrologer about 30 years ago, reports EarthSky's Bruce McClure. Before that, "we called them a perigee full moon...Perigee just means 'near Earth,'" he writes.

If you're tired of the supermoon hysteria, other names for the July, August and September full moons are the Buck, Sturgeon and Corn Moon, respectively.

With USA Today