4 days Ago By [email protected] (Bethany Gavaghan, Samuel Webb)
Tonight promises to be a delight for stargazers as the year's brightest supermoon, known as the 'Super Hunter's Moon', graces the night sky. Due to appear at 5.56pm, this spectacle is not to be missed.
When a supermoon occurs it shines up to 15% brighter and looks up to 30% larger than an average full moon - a result of the moon reaching its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, known as the 'perigee', and contrasting with the 'apogee', its farthest point. The October full moon, known as the Hunter's Moon, holds the title for being this year's nearest supermoon to Earth. Its unique moniker stems from times gone by when hunters took advantage of the bright light to pursue their game.
READ MORE: 16 flood alerts and 29 flood warnings in Wales as Met Office weather warning remains in place READ MORE: I go to Disneyland Paris every year on a budget - here's how not to spend a fortune It is customary for full moons to bear names which often originate from Native American traditions where the lunar cycles served as a vital timekeeping tool. Looking ahead to the night's viewing conditions, Met Office Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said: "Pretty much the whole of the UK has a good chance of clear skies this evening. "Western Scotland will be a bit cloudier, perhaps preventing prolonged views of the moon here, but otherwise cloud amounts will be patchy and should not limit views of the supermoon or comet for prolonged periods of time", the Manchester Evening News has reported.
"Isolated fog patches will form by midnight, with more extensive low cloud and fog forming during the early hours. This will mean a less favourable (but still moderate to high), chance of seeing the moon later in the night.".
