This is what the first blue supermoon of August looked like over San Diego

San Diego stargazers shared their best photos of August's blue supermoon, the first of four we'll see this year.

Supermoons are characterized by appearing fuller, larger (up to 14% larger) and brighter (30% brighter) because they are much closer to Earth during this time. In this case, the moon was 361,970 kilometers away.

Although moons can be perceived in different hues, the color has nothing to do with their name. A blue moon is when two full moons occur within the same month, or as in this case, it's when four full moons occur within the same season, the third of the fourth is called a blue moon here. In other words, Aug. 19 was a seasonal blue full moon, but it was even more special because it was closer to Earth.

Moonrise and moonset are the best times to catch the full moon at its brightest. The next supermoon will occur on Sept. 17 and will be even closer.