BRITONS hoping to see the biggest supermoon for 68 years were frustrated by superclouds blanketing the country this evening.
Typical British overcast conditions thwarted skygazers waiting for a glimpse of the rare spectacle – which was clearly visible from many countries all over the world but in very few parts of the UK.
29 Clouds parted just enough to reveal a stunning sight of the rare supermoon over Birmingham tonightCredit: Peter Lopeman/Alamy Live
29 The supermoon can barely be made out through the clouds above Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral this eveningCredit: Peter Byrne/PA Wire
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Skygazers hoping for a good view from Glastonbury Tor in Somerset were thwarted by thick cloud
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29 One photographer got this amazingly clear view of the supermoon in Belfast tonightCredit: Radharc Images/Alamy Live News
29 The larger, brighter full moon peeps through clouds above a ferris wheel in Aberdeen this eveningCredit: Ross Johnston/Newsline Media
29 Clouds only slightly got in the way of the supermoon as it loomed over Bamburgh castle in NorthumberlandCredit: Ian Horrocks/Getty Images
29 Photographer Andrew Fusek Peters captured a striking image of the moon appearing enormous as it rose over Caer Caradoc in Shropshire this eveningCredit: Andrew Fusek Peters/Mercury Pres
29 Photographer Kevin Ferrioli captured the supermoon rising over Boscombe beach from Branksome beach, DorsetCredit: KevinFerrioli/BNPS
29 The giant moon breaks through the clouds, beyond one of the iconic Liver Birds on top of The Royal Liver Building in LiverpoolCredit: PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images
Astronomers said today’s full moon would appear 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than usual as Earth’s natural satellite swung to the nearest point in its elliptical orbit.
The event – described as “undeniably beautiful” by American space agency Nasa – will not be matched until the moon makes a similar close approach in 2034.
It thrilled millions in New York, Frankfurt, Cape Town, Beijing and Sydney – but the much anticipated sight turned out to be a damp squib for most of us in soggy Britain.
YouTube star Tojizzle was among those frustrated by the weather.
He tweeted a picture of boxes of doughnuts saying: “Gutted that clouds stopped me seeing the super moon😭 but should have a decent night watching planet earth 2 and eating these👀🍩”
As Twitter users posted snaps of disappointing views from London to the Hebrides, one said: “Major astronomical event? Cue thick cloud #supermoon #where #icantseeit.”
Another joked: “Super moon. Also known as that slightly brighter patch of cloud than the rest of the sky.”
Jack Holmes tweeted: “You wait 70 years for the supermoon and it’s cloudy!”.
And one amateur snapper said the view from Stornoway was “a bit crap really”.
But Belfast, Aberdeen and Northumberland were among the few parts of the UK to get lucky, while clouds parted briefly in Birmingham to reveal a stunning full moon over the city skyline.
Photographer Andrew Fusek Peters also captured a striking image of a yellow moon appearing enormous as it rose over Caer Caradoc in Shropshire this evening.
Simon Partridge of the Met Office said Aberdeenshire in Scotland and north-eastern parts of Wales had the clearest conditions for an unobstructed view.
He said: “There is a fair bit of cloud around. The moon might be 30 per cent brighter but I don’t think it is bright enough to get through all that cloud.”
There is hope for those who missed the moon on Monday, with clearer skies forecast for areas north of the M4 on Tuesday.
Dr Marek Kukula, public astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: “It’s been a cloudy night for most of the UK and even a supermoon can’t get through thick clouds.
“Tuesday’s moon will be almost as large and bright as Monday’s, so we still have a chance to enjoy the sight if the weather obliges.”
29 The supermoon sets over the Longships lighthouse at Lands End this morning as the moon reached the nearest point in its orbit around the EarthCredit: Simon Maycock/Alamy Live
29 The supermoon sets behind the Chrysler Building in New York this eveningCredit: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
29 The supermoon appears like the glow of the Statue of Liberty’s torch in New YorkCredit: PETER ALESSANDRIA/ CATERS NEWS
29 The moon rises over the old fort on Iles St. Helene as viewed from the Old Port in Montreal, CanadaCredit: Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP
29 The supermoon rises over pink-hued mountains near San Diego in CaliforniaCredit: Daren Fentiman/ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock
29 The moon rises behind the four business towers that mark the city skyline in Madrid, SpainCredit: AP Photo/Paul White
29 The supermoon rises over the Mediterranean sea in Cape Greco in eastern CyprusCredit: AP Photo/Petros Karadjias
29 Clear skies in Milan, Italy, this evening as the full moon rises over the Duomo catherdralCredit: EPA/DANIEL DAL ZENNARO
29 The supermoon rises behind the statue of Goddess Bereginya at the Independence Square in Kiev, UkraineCredit: EPA/ROMAN PILIPEY
The Met Office said visibility should be better on Tuesday for areas from Luton and Bristol northwards, although viewers will not see a true full moon.
The moon’s proximity to the horizon caused an optical illusion known as the “low-hanging moon” effect, where it can be measured against familiar objects such as trees and houses.
And some parts of the world also enjoyed the spectacle of a “blood moon” when light is filtered by the Earth’s atmosphere and the moon glows red.
29 The rare blood moon phenomenon was on show in Beijing as the moon rose low over the skyline in BeijingCredit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan
29 The supermoon backdrops Russia’s Soyuz MS-03 space ship on the launchpad at Baikonur cosmodrome in KazakhstanCredit: AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky
29 The Russian rocket will carry a new crew to the International Space StationCredit: AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky
29 Two women watch the super-bright full moon rise above Lisbon, PortugalCredit: AP Photo/Armando Franca
29 The full moon – 30 per cent brighter than usual – rises over the Grand Palace in Bangkok, ThailandCredit: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit
29 The moon rises from behind the top of an apartment building in Minsk , BelarusCredit: AP Photo/Sergei Grits
29 The supermoon rises behind the skyscrapers in Dubai, United Arab EmiratesCredit: AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili
Thousands thronged the waterfronts in Sydney, Hong Kong and Bangkok as the cities were lit up by the extra-bright moon – but in Delhi residents’ view was blocked by the thick smog and pollution that has blighted the capital for weeks.
Earlier on Monday the gap between the Earth and the moon closed to its shortest point, known as the perigee – a distance of 221,525 miles. The last time the moon was this close to the Earth was in 1948, prompting Nasa to call this one an “extra-supermoon”.
The reason the distance varies is the moon’s slightly elongated orbit.
On average, it is 238,900 miles from the Earth, but at the perigee it is about five per cent closer.
At its furthest orbital point from the Earth, the apogee, it is five per cent more distant.
Perigee and apogee distances vary from month to month due to several factors, such as whether the long axis of the lunar orbit is pointed towards the sun.
Supermoons are relatively common, with one around every 14 months – but Pascal Descamps of the Paris Observatory said: “Some supermoons are more super than others.”
29 The Supermoon glows in the sky over Florence, Italy, on Monday eveningCredit: Fame Flynet
29 The moon rises over an illuminated wooden boat making the way along the Tonle Sap river for a boat race in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, CambodiaCredit: AP Photo/Heng Sinith
29 A supermoon sets over the Brisbane skyline, Australia, early on Tuesday morningCredit: EPA/DAN PELED
Monday’s event was billed as the biggest and best in a series of three supermoons this year. The first was on October 16 and the third is due on December 14.
The next time the moon will be as close is in 2034.
Affelia Wibisono, an astronomer who presents planetarium shows at the Royal Observatory, said the phenomenon could help kindle an interest in astronomy.
She said: “I’ve been teaching school children all morning, and every single one of them was asking me about the supermoon.
“It really has sparked an interest.”