Rare blue supermoon about to appear – everything you need to know

A blue supermoon is appearing on the horizon tonight, kicking off a series of astronomical events.

Supermoons occur when a full moon rises during its closest point in its orbit to Earth.

A blue moon happens when there are two full moons within a single calendar month or four full moons within a season.

They’re fairly rare – hence the saying, “once in a blue moon” – and occur once every two to three years.

First of four supermoons

This is the first of four supermoons in the next four months, and it is coinciding with serious wildfires in the US.

The dust from these may give the moon a red glow; blue moons aren’t actually blue.

The past two nights have seen spectacular moons around the UK, but they were just the warm-up. Tonight’s moon is the official supermoon and if the skies clear, it could be impressive.

The best time to spot a supermoon is during moonrise – the moon equivalent of sunrise.

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Start keeping an eye out from around 8.30pm – the further north you are, the later it will be, with John O’Groats’ moonrise happening at around 9.10pm.

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After this supermoon, the next will be on 18 September, followed by 17 October and then finishing with a final supermoon on 15 November.

While tonight’s blue supermoon is rare, September’s coincides with a partial lunar eclipse – another sight worth watching out for.

If you spot the supermoon tonight, you can share your story, pictures or video with us using our app, private messaging or email.

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