How and when to watch rare Super Blue Moon this week

If you missed the first supermoon this month, there is a rare chance to see another in our skies this August.

Here is everything you need to know about the Super Blue Moon overnight from Wednesday, August 30, to Thursday, August 31.

What is a supermoon?

Supermoons are a combination of a lunar perigee, when the moon is closest to the Earth, and a full moon.

They can appear about 7pc bigger and 15pc brighter and take on a reddish hue due to the summer haze.

As this is the second full moon in a month, it is commonly called a Blue Moon.

On Thursday, the moon will be even closer to the Earth than the first of the month.

It will be 222,043 miles (357,344km) away with its peak at 2.35am.

It will be most impressive at sunrise or sunset.

Spectators won't need anything other than themselves to enjoy the supermoon, though binoculars may give an excellent close-up look.

The last time two full supermoons appeared in the same month was in 2018.

It is thought that will not see this again until 2037 - so many would say it is "once in a blue moon".

August's full moons are called Sturgeon Moons, which gets its name from the fish readily caught during this part of the summer.

The month's full moons are linked with the end of the summer and the start of the harvest.

Other names for the August full moon are the Green Corn Moon and the Grain Moon.

There has already been one Sturgeon Moon this month, on August 1.

If you get a photo of the supermoon, we'd love to see it. Send your pictures to kate.wolstenholme@newsquest.co.uk.