Skygazers in for a treat as first of two August supermoons visible tonight

The first of two August supermoons will be visible to skygazers in Ireland tonight.

The first show is due on Tuesday evening (August 1) as the full moon rises in the southeast, appearing slightly brighter and bigger than usual.

On average, the moon is approximately 384,400km away from Earth but tonight, the supermoon is a lesser 357,264km away.

Because the moon is so close, it is deemed a supermoon for its sheer size.

Astronomy Ireland's David Moore advises that the best time to catch a glimpse is at moonrise.

"The best time to watch is at moonrise, which is the same time the Sun sets, when a further effect, called The Moon Illusion kicks in which can make the moon look even bigger to the human eye/brain combination," he said.

On Tuesday, the moon reaches its peak (moonrise) at 10:00 pm, and on Wednesday moon rise is at 10: 20 pm.

Unfortunately, the weather forecast for the next few days may hamper people's attempt to catch a look at the wonderful phenomenon.

According to Met Eireann, we're in for a wet night as outbreaks of rain continue to spread northwards, with some heavy falls bringing a risk of spot flooding.

There will be some mist and low cloud too.

The second supermoon will occur in just 28 days, on the 31st of August. It will be 0.1 percent bigger and brighter than its predecessor, according to Science Alert.

There will be a total of four supermoons this year with the fourth and final one gracing our skies on September 29 with the Harvest moon.

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