Last night, stargazers around the world were dazzled by an exceptionally rare blue supermoon. If you missed out on last night's spectacular display, there is no need to panic - as this is just the first of four upcoming lunar events.
Due to the changing Earth-Moon distance, the Moon can appear slightly larger or smaller from the point of view of an observer on the Earth. Supermoon isn't actually a precise astronomical term, but in common usage, it is when the full moon occurs when the Moon is within 90 per cent of its minimum distance or maximum size.
During yesterday's supermoon, the moon was 14,300 miles (23,000km) closer than normal, a difference equivalent to almost twice the diameter of the Earth. That difference causes the moon to appear 30 per cent brighter and 14 per cent larger to an observer on Earth.
Luckily, these events tend to come in clusters so there will be one to watch each month from now until November. So, if you fancy getting in on the skygazing action, here are the key dates to make sure you have blocked off in your calendar.
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