Missed the supermoon? You’ll get another chance to see it tonight

For those who missed it on Thursday, the last supermoon of the year will be visible in Irish skies again on Friday night.

A supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the perigee or its closest approach to Earth.

The official date of the supermoon was May 7th, but Astronomy Ireland says the spectacle will be almost as impressive when the moon rises at 10.50pm on Friday.

Members of the public are urged to look east to view the supermoon.

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“This is one of the closest full moons of the year, hence the name supermoon,” said David Moore, founder of Astronomy Ireland magazine.

“There will be a second phenomenon known as ‘The Moon Illusion’ which makes the already bloated full moon look even bigger to the human eye, perhaps twice as large as normal.”

There have been three supermoons already this year - which were visible on February 9th, March 9th and April 8th. This particular supermoon is known as the flower moon.

Friday night is expected to be dry with clear spells though patches of mist and fog will develop in calm conditions.