August 29 supermoon: Everything you need to know about the incredible

A supermoon can appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than a regular full moon. Perigee is when the moon is closest to the Earth, as opposed to apogee, which is when it’s the farthest.

The most significant thing that happens as a result of the moon’s elliptical orbit is that at times the moon comes nearer to the Earth, and sometimes goes away.

Tonight’s full moon will be just 222,631 miles from earth – one of the closest approaches of the year. That is a lot of nighttime hours to gaze upon this Supermoon!

If you are lucky, you may be able to see a supermoon in the skies above Gloucestershire this evening.

Space expert Gemma Lavender, features editor for All About Space magazine, who is an elected fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and an Associate Member of the Institute of Physics, said the supermoon event presents an ideal opportunity to view the moon’s craters and mountains, which can be observed with binoculars or a telescope.

Each full moon happens roughly every 29.53 days after the previous full moon. When this happens, people from the Earth may observe that the moon looks bigger than usual and thus can showcase a magnificent sight.

Moons extra close to the Earth – not always strictly Supermoons – have been known to cause exceptionally high tides. The image below shows the light and dark areas at the exact time of the full moon. The one happening at the end of next month will be the closest and largest Supermoon, and it will coincide with a lunar eclipse, moreover, a total eclipse of the moon.

While this supermoon will be grand, another supermoon that will rise on September 28 and that will be the best of the year, according to The Business Insider.

The first of three full supermoons occurring this year will take place on the night of August 29 from 6.35pm.

You may have to stare at the sky for a little longer to catch a good view, though.

The moon has no magnetic field, so if you ever visit, don’t bother packing a compass.