It might not be Halloween just yet, but stargazers are still in for an unmissable spooky treat this evening.
Tonight, the spectacular Hunter’s Moon will light up skies around the world.
Experts say this supermoon will be the most impressive full moon of the year as our lunar satellite appears up to 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter.
A supermoon occurs when the moon approaches the closest distance to Earth in its 27-day orbit.
At a distance of just 221,937 miles (357,173 km), the Hunter’s Moon will be the closest supermoon to Earth this year.
The best time to see this stunning display will be just as the moon rises over the Northwestern horizon from 18:02 BST this evening.
And with the Met Office forecasting dry weather and patches of clear sky, there should be plenty of great chances to see this year’s best full moon.
It might not be Halloween just yet, but stargazers are still in for an unmissable spooky treat this evening. Tonight, the spectacular Hunter’s Moon will light up skies around the world
Anna Gammon-Ross, senior planetarium astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told MailOnline: ‘A supermoon is the result of a full Moon occurring when the Moon is near its closest point to the Earth in its orbit.
‘This can happen because the Moon orbits the Earth on an elliptical path, rather than a circular one.’
While ‘supermoon’ is not a scientifically recognised term, it is generally defined as any full moon which occurs when the moon is within 90 per cent of its closest point to Earth, or perigee.
‘As a supermoon means that the Moon is a little closer to us, it will appear slightly bigger in the sky,’ says Ms Gammon-Ross.
Normally, the Moon orbits at a distance of 238,855 miles (384,400 km) from Earth.
However, during tonight’s event, the moon will be almost 17,000 miles (27,000km) closer than normal.
The Hunter’s Moon gets its name from the traditional naming system for full moons which was first introduced in the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Ms Gammon-Ross says: ‘This system gives each full Moon a name which corresponds to characteristics or activities of each particular month. The Hunter’s moon signals a particularly good time of year for hunting.’
A supermoon occurs when the moon approaches its closest point to Earth. During tonight’s supermoon, the moon will be almost 17,000 miles closer than normal. Pictured: A plane flies in front of the Hunter’s Supermoon over San Francisco
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, October was considered the best time for hunting as deer and other animals came out into the recently harvested fields to look for food.
The moon reached its point of maximum closeness to Earth in the early hours of this morning at 00:46 and will be at its fullest at 12:26 pm this afternoon – although it will not be visible from the UK at this time.
However, the moon will remain full for the next three days so there is still plenty of time to get a great view of this lunar treat.
To get a clearer view, it is best to find somewhere away from street lights with an unobstructed view of the horizon.
Allow time for your eyes to adjust to the darkness and make sure not to ruin your night vision by using your phone.
Although special equipment isn’t necessary, a pair of binoculars or small telescope will let you see more of the lunar surface.
For the most spectacular views, it is also best to watch the moon shortly after it rises or before it sets.
It is best to see the full moon while it is lower to the horizon. This makes the moon appear to be larger and can give it a yellow or orange glow under the right conditions. Pictured: The Hunter’s moon rises over San Mateo, California last night
While the moon is close to the horizon it will appear even bigger due to a psychlogical effect called the ‘moon illusion’.
As the moon rises or sets it can also take on a beautiful orange or red glow thanks to light from the sun filtering through the Earth’s atmosphere.
Gases in our atmosphere scatter light in the blue regions of the visible spectrum.
This makes the sky appear blue and means that more red light reaches the moon.
Tonight, the moon will rise at 17:51 BST shortly before the sun sets at 18:02 BST.
This means it will be best to try and watch the moon as close to sunset as possible to catch it while it is still lower to the horizon.
Alternatively, early risers will have a good chance to catch the supermoon on the morning of October 18 before the moon sets at 08:55 BST.
Luckily, the Met Office predicts that there will be good weather for stargazing across much of the country.
The Met Office predicts that there will be patches of clear sky (left) and limited rainfall (right) from 19:00 tonight. This means there should be plenty of opportunities to get a good view of the supermoon
Andrea Bishop, Met Office spokesperson, told MailOnline: ‘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.’
At 18:00 BST there will be patchy cloud cover over England and Wales with frequent breaks of clear sky.
Meanwhile, rain is only forecast for Scotland’s West coast and a few small areas of Northern England for the start of the evening.
The moon will stay full for three days so you will be able to try again until the morning of October 19.
If you do happen to miss the Hunter’s Moon this year there is no reason to worry as there is still one more supermoon to come.
The Hunter’s Moon is the third of four supermoons in 2024, with the next forecast for November 15 with the full Beaver Moon.
