By John C. Toman. Posted May 6, 2012, 9:56 PM.

A closer-than-usual full moon made for some picturesque scenes Saturday night.

The "super moon", as it's called, occurs when the there's a full or new moon during the closest point in the moon's orbit around Earth.

The perigee of the moon's orbit is approximately 357,000 kilometers from earth. During this phenomenon, a super moon appears to be about 12% larger than an average full moon.

It's been speculated that super moons are linked to an increased incidence of natural disasters, due to increased tidal force at lunar perigee.

The last super moon prior to May 5, 2012 was on March 19, 2011.

Super moon over Lake Perris. Photo courtesy of Inland Empire News Radio.

Super moon over Nuevo on Saturday evening. Photo courtesy of Inland Empire News Radio.

A close-up of the super moon, from Murrieta Hot Springs. Photo courtesy of Tom Shields.