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Skygazers are hoping for a gap in the clouds tonight as the last “supermoon” of the year makes an appearance.
For the third time this year the moon will look about 14% bigger and brighter as it reaches its closest point to Earth.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich said: “So long as there’s not too much cloud, the full moon will be an unmistakable white orb in the sky.”
The observatory said the best hours to see the “supermoon” will be from midnight until dawn.
Robin Scagell, vice-president of the Society for Popular Astronomy, said the moon appears to change size and brightness because of its orbit.
He said: “The moon’s distance from Earth varies because it has an elliptical rather than circular orbit, as do all planetary and satellite orbits.
“If the Earth and moon were the only objects in the universe and we were totally flexible and solid, every closest point (perigee) and every farthest point (apogee) would be identical for eternity.
“But in the real universe, there are many more forces acting on the two bodies, notably the direction of the sun, so the perigee and apogee distances change slightly.”
The last “supermoon”, the biggest in 70 years, appeared on 14 November but in many parts of the UK it was blocked out by a blanket of cloud.
And it looks like the weather is going to repeat itself with cloud getting in the way again.
Sky News weather forecaster Kirsty McCabe said: “The third and final ‘supermoon’ of 2016 will reach the closest point to the Earth about half an hour before midnight.
“But it’s unlikely you’ll see it as it’s going to be cloudy pretty much everywhere with hill fog too, not to mention outbreaks of rain for parts of Ireland, Northern Ireland, northern England and southern Scotland.
“The best chance of clear spells will be in the far north of Scotland.”
The first “supermoon” of the year appeared on 16 October and the next one is not due until 25 November 2034, according to NASA.
Courtesy of Sky News
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