Final Supermoon of 2022 will appear in UK this week

If you're a fan of looking up at the night sky in awe, then you'll want to note the date of the final supermoon of 2022.

The celestial event is happening this week, and if you want to catch a glimpse of the moon at its biggest and brightest, you can do so at 1.30 am on 12 August. Watch a super blood moon over London:

This week's supermoon is the Sturgeon Moon, which is the traditional name of the full moon in August.

As reported by The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the moon gets its name from the large numbers of sturgeon that Native Americans used to harvest from the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain at this time of year.

However, it is worth noting that the supermoon also has some other names which you might see it referred to as well.

The Anglo-Saxons called it the Grain Moon while the Celts named it the Lynx Moon, timeanddate.com reports.

Alamy / Stephen Chung

A supermoon happens when the moon reaches a point in its orbit that brings it closest to the Earth, which is why it looks so big compared to other moons.

However, supermoons don't happen all that often, and we typically see them every few months - although there will be no more in 2022.

Sara Russell of the Natural History Museum said: "During a supermoon, the moon is at a stage where it is closest to Earth.

"This will typically last for two to five full moons, so that’s why there are multiple supermoons in a row.

"After that, the moon goes into the more distant part of its orbit."

But the upcoming supermoon is said to be more special than most, with Russell adding: "The Moon, of course, does not vary in size according to where it appears in the sky.

"It may be that when it is near the horizon there are objects, like trees and buildings, that it can be compared in size to, whereas in the middle of the sky there are no points of comparison, which makes it seem smaller."

Alamy / PA Images

This Thursday's supermoon will be the fourth to take place this year.

If you're wanting a larger window of time to see the supermoon, timeanddate.com has detailed how long it will be in the night sky depending on your location.

The supermoon will first be visible in London at 8.54 pm and will last until sunrise at 5.34 am, and if you're in Edinburgh, it will rise at 9:30 pm and last until sunrise at 5.25 am on Friday.

Topics: Space

Emma Guinness

@guinness_emma