Shine on the harvest moon! The last supermoon of the year delights sky watchers as it appears larger and brighter than usual in a clear night sky

A mesmerizing supermoon lit up the sky last night, a rare astronomical spectacle unlike any other will take place again until September 2024.

Stargazers were in for a treat as the so-called ‘Harvest Moon’ shone brightly just after the sun set at 6:45pm BST, marking the end of September.

It was the latest in a rare series of four supermoons in 2023, including two in July, that won’t be seen again for a whopping 14 years.

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

‘[This occurs] “If the moon is full at the time the moon is closest to Earth,” University of Warwick astronomy professor Don Pollacco told MailOnline.

September’s blue harvest moon hangs in the night sky in Panama City, Panama

The final supermoon of 2023 rises over Whitby Piers on the North Yorkshire coast

The Harvest Moon rises over Ely Cathedral in the Cambridgeshire Fens on Friday evening

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

“To most people, they actually look pretty much the same.” However, keep in mind that the rising full moon may look 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.

The astrophysicist Dr. Paul Strøm, assistant professor at the University of Warwick, told MailOnline: “The moon orbits the Earth in a slightly elliptical orbit – imagine a slightly flattened circle or oval.”

“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 it just happens that we have a full moon, which coincides with the time when the moon is at a point in its orbit where it is closer to us.” Then 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, the astronomical phenomena have been the focus of countless myths and speculations for centuries.

Even Richard Nolle, the astrologer who first coined the term in 1979, was there.

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

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

This particularly applies to a full moon This happens when the center of the Moon is less than 360,000 km from Earth.

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

A plane flies past the Harvest supermoon as it makes its landing approach to Heathrow Airport in London last night

The Harvest Moon over Macquarie Lighthouse in Sydney last night

A full moon, known as the Blue Moon, rises behind the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion near Athens, Greece, on August 30, 2023

A supermoon occurs when a full moon nearly coincides with its perigee – the point in the moon’s orbit where it is closest to Earth

Today’s event is the latest in a rare series of four supermoons in 2023, including two in July

The name of this month’s Harvest or Corn Moon is believed to come from farming communities who typically brought in grain at the end of summer.

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

Although this largely depends on the weather, it is recommended to avoid cloudy areas with heavy light pollution.

Binoculars can also be useful if you want to get a close look at the lunar surface.