Supermoon obscured by clouds as it graces night sky

The May full moon coincided with the satellite being at its closest to the Earth during its orbit, making it appear larger and brighter.

A supermoon has lit up the night skies – but the event may have been obscured for many by cloud cover.

The May full moon coincided with the satellite being at its closest to the Earth during its orbit, making it appear larger and brighter.

During the celestial event, the moon usually appears around 14% bigger and 30% brighter but large parts of the UK appeared to have a cloudy night going into Wednesday.

People who travelled to Stonehenge in Wiltshire in the early hours could only see part of the supermoon, with the rest bathed in cloud.

The full moon in April is known as the “flower moon” as it appears at the time of blossoming flowers.

May’s supermoon also coincides with a lunar eclipse which will see the moon turn red, because it drifts into the shadow of the Earth.

The Earth’s atmosphere then bends light from the sun and bathes the moon in a crimson red light.

But that will only be visible in parts of South America, Australia and South-East Asia.

Published: 26/05/2021 by Radio NewsHub