The final supermoon of 2023 rises this evening – how and when to see it from the UK

The supermoon will light up our sky tonight, in a rare astronomical spectacle. It will happen again until September 2024.

Stargazers are in for a treat as the so-called ‘harvest moon’ is set to rise shortly after sunset at 18.45 GMT, marking the end of September.

It’s the last of a rare series of four supermoons in 2023, including two in July that won’t be seen again for an astonishing 14 years.

A supermoon occurs when the full moon roughly coincides with its “perigee” point of 221,484 miles (356,445 kilometers) from Earth.

Astronomy professor Don Polacco, from the University of Warwick, told MailOnline: “(This happens) when the moon is full at a time when the moon is closest to Earth.”

Accordingly, the moon can appear 10-15 percent larger and 25-30 percent brighter than a “normal” full moon.

“To most people, they actually look pretty similar. However, one thing to note is that when the moon is full, it can appear larger than usual.

This is partly due to the Earth’s atmosphere and also due to an optical illusion, such as seeing the moon next to the trees.

Unlike the monthly full moon, a supermoon usually occurs three to four times a year.

This is due to the very specific conditions required for a supermoon to occur.

“The Moon orbits the Earth in a slightly elliptical orbit – think a slightly flattened circle or oval,” astrophysicist Dr Paul Strom, associate professor at the University of Warwick, told MailOnline.

“This means that sometimes the Moon is a little closer to us, and sometimes a little further away. At the same time, the Moon goes through different phases – the shape of the sunlit part of the Moon – as it orbits the Earth.”

“A few times a year, we happen to have a full moon that coincides with the moon being at a point in its orbit when it is closest to us. That’s when people call it a supermoon.

“Given that it only happens a few times a year, one of these supermoons must be the last.”

Although rare, astronomical phenomena have been the focus of countless myths and speculation for centuries.

Even Richard Noll, the astronomer who first coined the term in 1979, was part of this.

He claimed that the supermoon could trigger volcanic eruptions, worsen earthquakes, and even affect the behavior of humans on Earth.

These theories have since been debunked by scientists, who often prefer to use the term “rock bottom” to describe the phenomenon.

This specifically refers to the full moon This occurs when the center of the Moon is less than 223,000 miles (360,000 kilometers) from Earth.

Astrophysicist Gianluca Masi previously explained that “the term in itself has no scientific value: astronomers prefer to call it a perigee moon, but undoubtedly ‘supermoon’ is a much more magical name.”

It is believed that the name of this month’s harvest, or maize, mon, goes back to agricultural communities who usually gathered crops at the end of summer.

Fortunately, tonight’s supermoon will be large and bright enough to be seen clearly with the naked eye from anywhere in the country.

Although this is largely weather dependent, it is recommended to stay away from overcast areas that have a lot of light pollution.

Binoculars may also be useful if you want to peek at the moon’s surface up close.