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This week offers the chance to see August’s second supermoon.
Stargazers were treated to a lunar spectacle right at the start of the month, and it will close with an even more spectacular showcase on Wednesday night – peaking at around 2.35am on Thursday in the UK.
This “blue moon” will be even closer to Earth, at 222,043 miles away, making it appear bigger in the sky.
This compares with a distance of about 252,088 miles when the moon is at its furthest point from Earth.
It will mark the first time in five years that two supermoons have appeared in the same month, a rarity astronomers don’t expect to see again until 2037.
How can I see it?
All you have to do is look up.
Unlike shooting stars or comets, which require a bit more thought around when and where you’ll want to head out to see them, supermoons are far from inconspicuous.
They can appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than when the moon is further away from Earth.
So long as it’s not too cloudy, the Royal Observatory at Greenwich says anyone should be able to see the “unmistakable white orb in the sky”.
Of course, those with binoculars or a telescope could get an even more detailed view of the moon’s surface, and photographers are also encouraged to take advantage.
For the most impressive view, have a look at moonrise (just after sunset) or moonset (just before sunrise).
‘White orb’? I thought it was blue?
Confusingly, the blue moon moniker does not actually relate to its colour.
Typically, there is one full moon per month – and cultures around the world have given them each a name, though the most well known come from the Native…
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