The very first supermoon of the year will light up the sky tomorrow night – and it’s going to be even more spectacular than normal.
In an astonishingly rare alignment of events, tomorrow’s Wolf supermoon will be getting a triple brightness boost.
That could make it the biggest and brightest full moon of the year, and one of the brightest appearances our moon is capable of.
With the next supermoon not making an appearance until November, you won’t want to miss this weekend’s celestial show.
A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, known as the perigee.
During tomorrow’s perigee, the moon will be 225,130 miles (362,312 km) from Earth, over 20,000 miles (32,000 km) closer than its furthest point.
That will make the moon appear 14 per cent bigger and up to 30 per cent brighter as it rises tomorrow evening.
However, astronomers say that there will be two more factors that will boost the supermoon’s brightness even further.
The first supermoon of the year, known as the wolf moon, will light up the skies over the UK tomorrow evening. Pictured: The last wolf supermoon over Huddersfield in 2019
In an unusual coincidence, tomorrow’s supermoon occurs within hours as an event known as a perihelion, during which the Earth is at its smallest distance from the sun.
Like the moon’s orbit around Earth, the Earth’s passage around the sun is slightly elliptical rather than perfectly round.
That means the distance between our planet and the sun varies by about 3.4 per cent over the course of a year.
According to NASA, the sunlight reaching Earth will be about 6.5 per cent brighter during perihelion tomorrow than it would be at the most distant point.
Since the moon reflects light from the sun, this could make the lunar glow even stronger than normal.
Finally, the third brightness boost will be the excellent stargazing conditions found in the northern hemisphere during the winter.
Cold, dry air allows more light to penetrate the atmosphere and causes less disturbance.
As high–pressure weather moves over Europe and the UK, bringing cold, clear conditions, the moon will appear even brighter and clearer.
A supermoon occurs when a full moon nearly coincides with perigee – the point in the orbit of the moon at which it is nearest to the Earth. However, tomorrow’s supermoon will be even brighter due to two extra factors
Those at higher altitudes will benefit even more, because they’ll be above the dense air at low altitudes that contains haze, fog and smoke that mask your view of the sky.
Good examples include Primrose Hill in London, Snowdonia National Park in South Wales, Exmoor National Park in Devon, and South Downs National Park in Sussex and Hampshire.
Overall, this triple boost will make tomorrow night one of the best opportunities to see a supermoon this year.
Luckily, seeing the moon tomorrow evening is exceptionally easy.
Jess Lee, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told the Daily Mail: ‘You don’t need any special equipment to view a supermoon, and you don’t need to travel outside of light–polluted areas.
‘It’s a lovely sight even from a city or a town.’
Ms Lee adds: ‘The supermoon will be visible from around 16:00 on December 3 until 09:00 the following day, so you’ve got plenty of time to catch a glimpse of our nearest celestial neighbour.’
The moon will be at its most spectacular shortly after it rises or sets, while it is still low on the horizon.
Not only will the moon be at its closest point to Earth, but the Earth will also be at its closest point to the sun. This could make the light reflected off the moon even brighter. Pictured: A Wolf moon over Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire
Due to an effect called the ‘moon illusion’, our lunar satellite appears to be significantly larger when it is near the horizon.
Psychologists aren’t yet entirely sure why this effect takes place or what makes it so strong, but some suggest it could be due to the moon’s comparison with recognisable objects like buildings and trees.
The exact timing of moonrise will vary slightly depending on your latitude, but the moon should start to be visible from about 15:15 in the UK.
In another rare winter treat, British moon watchers can also look forward to largely clear skies tomorrow evening.
The Met Office forecasts only patchy cloud over most of England and Wales, with some light cloud cover in Scotland and the northeast of England.
However, be aware that yellow and amber snow and ice warnings are in place over parts of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
If you are heading out to see the supermoon tomorrow, be sure to check your local forecast and dress appropriately in warm clothing.
Tomorrow’s full moon is rare because not every full moon is a supermoon, and there may be only three or four supermoons in a typical year.
Although cold, dry weather over the UK will deliver clear skies and great viewing conditions, be aware that snow and ice warnings are in effect
Whenever the full moon appears, it is given a nickname depending on the month of the year – a tradition that goes back hundreds of years.
Ms Lee says: ‘One name for the January Full moon is the “Wolf Moon” named after the wolves that might have been roaming the dark winter nights.’
After tomorrow’s Wolf supermoon, there will be only two more chances to catch a supermoon in 2026.
Those are the Beaver supermoon on November 24 and the Cold supermoon on December 24.
The phases of the moon
Like Earth, the Moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the Moon rotates.
The Sun always illuminates half of the Moon while the other half remains dark, but how much we are able to see of that illuminated half changes as the Moon travels through its orbit.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the phases of the moon are:
1. New Moon
This is the invisible phase of the Moon, with the illuminated side of the Moon facing the Sun and the night side facing Earth.
2. Waxing crescent
This silver sliver of a Moon occurs when the illuminated half of the Moon faces mostly away from Earth, with only a tiny portion visible to us from our planet.
3. First Quarter
The Moon is now a quarter of the way through its monthly journey and you see half of its illuminated side.
4. Waxing Gibbous
Now most of the Moon’s dayside has come into view, and the Moon appears brighter in the sky.
5. Full Moon
This is as close as we come to seeing the Sun’s illumination of the entire day side of the Moon.
6. Waning Gibbous
As the Moon begins its journey back toward the Sun, the opposite side of the Moon now reflects the Moon’s light.
7. Last Quarter
The Moon looks like it’s half illuminated from the perspective of Earth, but really you’re seeing half of the half of the Moon that’s illuminated by the Sun ― or a quarter.
8. Waning Crescent
The Moon is nearly back to the point in its orbit where its dayside directly faces the Sun, and all that we see from our perspective is a thin curve.
