How and When to Witness the Last Supermoon of 2023 in the UK Tonight

A fascinating supermoon will light up our skies tonight, in a rare astronomical spectacle that will not happen again until September 2024.

Stargazers are in luck, as the so-called ‘Harvest Moon’ will shine brightly shortly after the sun sets at 18:45 BST, marking the end of September.

It is the last in a rare series of four supermoons in 2023, including two in July that will not be seen again for 14 years.

Supermoons occur when the full Moon nearly coincides with its “perigee” of 221,484 miles (356,445 km) from Earth.

‘[This occurs] when there is a full Moon at the time when the Moon is closest to the Earth,” astronomer Professor Don Pollacco from the University of Warwick told MailOnline.

‘Consequently, the Moon may appear larger (10 to 15 percent) and brighter (25 to 30 percent) than a “normal” full Moon.

‘To most people, they actually look a lot alike. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that when a full Moon rises, it may appear larger than normal.

“This is partly due to the Earth’s atmosphere and also due to an optical illusion, like seeing the Moon next to trees.”

Unlike monthly full moons, supermoons typically occur three to four times a year.

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

Professor Sara Russellof the Natural History Museum, explained: ‘During a supermoon, the Moon is at a stage where it is closest to the Earth.

“Usually this lasts for two to five full moons, which is why there are several supermoons in a row.

“After that, the Moon moves into the most distant part of its orbit.”

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

Even Richard Nolle, the astrologer who first coined the term in 1979, was part of this.

He claimed that supermoons could cause volcanic eruptions, worsen earthquakes and even influence the behavior of humans on Earth.

These theories have since been refuted by scientists, who often prefer to use the term “perigee syzygy” to describe the phenomenon.

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

“The term itself has no scientific value: astronomers prefer to call it a perigee full moon, but certainly ‘supermoon’ is a much more charming name,” astrophysicist Giana Masi previously explained.

A supermoon occurs when the full moon almost coincides with its perigee, the point in the moon’s orbit when it is closest to Earth.

Tonight’s event is the last in a rare series of four supermoons in 2023, including two in July.

The name of this month’s Harvest Moon, or Corn, is believed to date back to farming communities that typically harvested their crops at the end of summer.

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

Although this largely depends on the weather, it is recommended to stay away from cloudy areas with a lot of light pollution.

Binoculars can also come in handy if you want to get a close-up glimpse of the lunar surface.