Large supermoon lights up UK skies – will we see it again tonight?

Skygazers in the UK were stunned by the ‘largest and brightest’ supermoon of the year on Thursday evening.

This month’s full moon, called the Hunter’s Moon, is the third of four supermoons in 2024. Earth’s natural satellite appeared around 14% bigger and 30% brighter.

For those who missed the spectacle, don’t fret – last night’s supermoon will be visible for the next two nights.

But visibility to see the moon in all of its glory will be spotty at best, given the forecasted heavy cloud cover.

Almost the entirety of the UK, with the exception of a few areas in the southeast, will be covered in clouds tonight.

Those around Kent will see a bit of the supermoon as the clouds part ever so slightly between 8pm and 10pm.

Stargazers were treated to clear skies last night, however, with photos of the bright moon in central London shared online.

One social media user said: ‘It’s been a long time since I saw stars in the sky like that.’

Others kept their observations simple: ‘The moon is bright af right now.’

Another photo showed the bright moon rising between two skyscrapers in central London as the sun set.

Daniel Brown, associate professor in astronomy at Nottingham Trent University, said: ‘The October full moon appears as the largest and brightest supermoon of the four this year, being 76km closer than last month’s full moon.

‘It is always exciting to notice changes in colour due to our atmosphere and explore the ‘moon illusion’ where the moon only seems to look huge given its proximity to the horizon, where there is context alongside buildings, trees and other features.

‘If the moon is high in the sky and you don’t have that context, it seems just a distant object and much smaller.’

The term supermoon was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 as either a new or full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth.

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