What the last 'super blue moon' actually looked like
Stargazers in the UK are in for a rare treat on Thursday night as a super blue moon will grace the skies.
Stargazers in the UK are in for a rare treat on Thursday night as a super blue moon will grace the skies.
Unlike its name suggests, a blue moon is not named after the colour and instead refers to the second full moon in one calendar month.
Most months only have one full moon, so a second is quite a rare event, occurring approximately once every two or three years.
The moon appears larger than usual and will rise at around 8pm on Thursday, setting at around 6am the following day.
Read more: Super blue moon: The best time to see it in the UK tonight
The peak of the full moon – when the near side of it is completely lit up by the sun – is at 2.35am on Friday.
Don’t worry if you can’t stay up into the early hours as experts say it will not look noticeably different during the night.
The best time to catch a glimpse is when your local conditions are best suited to a clear sky – low cloud cover, favourable weather, and no obstructions on the horizon – such as buildings or trees.
This is the first super blue moon since 2018, here Yahoo News shows how it appeared around the world five years ago:
