Supermoon To Appear On 6 May In Europe And The UK

Supermoon To Appear On 6 May In Europe And The UK
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Stargazers and lunatics alike have a treat in store for them this weekend, when a "supermoon" will appear in the skies on Sunday 6 May.

The full moon on 6 May is the closest and largest full moon of this year. Called a perigee full moon, it will be at the closest possible point to the Earth, making it appear much larger than usual.

The supermoon has a range of wild effects. It brings king tides and is believed to affect mental health.

A supermoon is also simply a delight to behold. The supermoon in May is 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons, according to Nasa, making 6 May a great time for a night walk.

While a 16% increase is very hard to measure, the moon will appear larger and brighter for the night of 6 May in the UK and 5 May in the US.

The perigee moon appears each month, but a magnificent supermoon last appeared on 19 March 2011, looming over London and glowing a deep, dark orange.

Email us your pictures of the supermoon, using the hashtag #supermoon to ukpicturedesk@teamaol.com

Take a look at 100 great shots of previous supermoons.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article included the spelling perigree.