The biggest supermoon of the YEAR will light up the skies tonight

The biggest supermoon of the year will light up skies around the world this evening – and you don’t want to miss it. 

At its peak, our lunar satellite will appear eight per cent larger and 16 per cent brighter than usual.

The phenomenon occurs because the moon’s orbit is not perfectly circular around Earth, meaning at times it is slightly closer or slightly further away.

At its closest, it is called a lunar perigee – and when it occurs close to a full moon, it can be a spectacular sight.

‘As long as there aren’t too many clouds, the full moon will be an unmistakable white orb in the sky,’ Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) said.

‘This is a good opportunity to use a small telescope or a pair of binoculars to see the moon’s detailed surface, or even try taking a few interesting moon photos. However, you can see the moon perfectly well with just your eyes.’

Looking for the lunar satellite just after sunset or just before sunrise will be an impressive sight, as it will appear enormous compared to the surrounding landscape.

And while the forecast says clouds, you should hopefully be able to catch a glimpse of our remarkable celestial neighbour.

Tonight, the moon will be just under 357,000km (221,818 miles) from Earth, compared to an average distance of 384,400km (238,855 miles).

This will make it the nearest full moon of the year and therefore the largest supermoon – coinciding with Bonfire Night.

The first full moon of November is informally called a Beaver moon, as part of a tradition dating back centuries.

It is thought the term may have been used in a range of cultures from certain Native American tribes to early European settlers, and depicts the time of year that beavers become particularly active as they build dams and stock up on food.

According to the Met Office, at 5pm today – just after sunset – most of the UK will be covered in cloud.

However, there will be some occasional clear intervals, allowing for a glimpse of the impressive sight.

Along with looking spectacular, supermoons also have an effect on the Earth’s tides.

‘The tides are caused by the gravitational forces of the sun and the moon on the Earth’s oceans,’ the RMG said.

‘When the Moon is closer to the Earth during a supermoon, the gravitational pull is slightly stronger, and so the tides are bigger.

‘However this effect is almost negligible, with only a couple of inches difference between a normal full moon and supermoon tide.’

While this isn’t the final supermoon of the year – there will be one again on December 4 – it’s thought the moon won’t appear this large and bright again until November 24, 2026.

It should be easy enough to take a decent photo of the moon using your phone, but it’s best to place it on a steady surface to prevent blurring.

Those with a single lens reflex (SLR) camera can take good images if they use a 250mm telephoto lens.

To get the best detail, you need a telephoto lens of at least 500 to 600mm and ideally a long focal length telescope.

Experts recommend using shutter speeds of 1/30th of a second, with a low ISO setting to reduce noise.