The third and final supermoon of 2019 is set to take place tonight, offering the brightest and biggest view of the celestial satellite for almost a year.
Weather permitting, people around the world will be able to look up into the night sky on Wednesday 20 March and see the full moon at its closest point to Earth.
The exact time that the moon passes closest to Earth is 01.43 GMT on Thursday morning, though the moon will appear bigger and brighter in the sky until Friday.
Its arrival coincides with two other astronomical phenomena: the spring equinox and the passing of an asteroid close to Earth.
The occurrence of the spring equinox – the exact date the Earth’s equator is closest to the sun – means the length of day and night are nearly equal in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
This event means tonight’s supermoon is known as the Worm Moon, after the Native American observation that worms begin to appear at the start of spring as the ground begins to thaw.
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A plane flies past the snow moon in Nuremberg, Germany
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The moon lights up the sky behind One World Trade Center in New York
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The moon setting over Burrow Mump at Burrowbridge in Somerset this morning
Robin Morrison / SWNS
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The snow moon rises over the Plaza Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas
AP
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The moon sets behind Les Jumelles in the Swiss Alps
AP
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The snow moon rises over the banks of the River Loire at Lavau-sur-Loire
AFP/Getty
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Emirates Air Line cable cars are silhouetted against the backdrop of a snow moon in Greenwich, London
PA
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The snow moon rises between columns of the Floesser Bridge in Frankfurt, Germany
AP
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The snow moon in Milan
AFP/Getty
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Buddhist monks carry lit candles as the moon rises over the Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple, near Bangkok
AFP/Getty
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The snow moon rises over Marina Beach in Chennai, India
AFP/Getty
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The snow moon is pictured against street lights of Piazza del Duomo in Milan
AFP/Getty
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The snow moon rises above a construction site in India
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The snow moon above Saltillo, Mexico
EPA
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The snow moon above Puebla, Mexico
EPA
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A ferris wheel is in the foreground as the snow moon rises above Malaga, Spain
Reuters
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The snow moon rises between statues of Alexander the Great and Diogenes of Sinope in Corinth, Greece
AFP/Getty
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The snow moon rises in Skopje, North Macedonia
AFP/Getty
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The snow moon rises behind a statue of the Virgin Maty in Skopje, North Macedonia
AFP/Getty
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Emirates Air Line cable cars are silhouetted against the backdrop of a snow moon in Greenwich, London
PA
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The snow moon rises over the French Mediterranean island of Corsica
AFP/Getty
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The snow moon rises by the Parthenon in Athens
AFP/Getty
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A plane flies in front of the snow moon above London
Getty
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The snow moon rises above the Camlica Mosque in Istanbul
EPA
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The Madonnina statue of the Virgin Mary atop Milan’s Cathedral is pictured against the snow moon
AFP/Getty
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A plane flies past the snow moon in Nuremberg, Germany
AFP/Getty
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The moon lights up the sky behind One World Trade Center in New York
AP
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The moon setting over Burrow Mump at Burrowbridge in Somerset this morning
Robin Morrison / SWNS
4/25
The snow moon rises over the Plaza Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas
AP
5/25
The moon sets behind Les Jumelles in the Swiss Alps
AP
6/25
The snow moon rises over the banks of the River Loire at Lavau-sur-Loire
AFP/Getty
7/25
Emirates Air Line cable cars are silhouetted against the backdrop of a snow moon in Greenwich, London
PA
8/25
The snow moon rises between columns of the Floesser Bridge in Frankfurt, Germany
AP
9/25
The snow moon in Milan
AFP/Getty
10/25
Buddhist monks carry lit candles as the moon rises over the Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple, near Bangkok
AFP/Getty
11/25
The snow moon rises over Marina Beach in Chennai, India
AFP/Getty
12/25
The snow moon is pictured against street lights of Piazza del Duomo in Milan
AFP/Getty
13/25
The snow moon rises above a construction site in India
AFP/Getty
14/25
The snow moon above Saltillo, Mexico
EPA
15/25
The snow moon above Puebla, Mexico
EPA
16/25
A ferris wheel is in the foreground as the snow moon rises above Malaga, Spain
Reuters
17/25
The snow moon rises between statues of Alexander the Great and Diogenes of Sinope in Corinth, Greece
AFP/Getty
18/25
The snow moon rises in Skopje, North Macedonia
AFP/Getty
19/25
The snow moon rises behind a statue of the Virgin Maty in Skopje, North Macedonia
AFP/Getty
20/25
Emirates Air Line cable cars are silhouetted against the backdrop of a snow moon in Greenwich, London
PA
21/25
The snow moon rises over the French Mediterranean island of Corsica
AFP/Getty
22/25
The snow moon rises by the Parthenon in Athens
AFP/Getty
23/25
A plane flies in front of the snow moon above London
Getty
24/25
The snow moon rises above the Camlica Mosque in Istanbul
EPA
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The Madonnina statue of the Virgin Mary atop Milan’s Cathedral is pictured against the snow moon
AFP/Getty
For most of the UK, the sun will set shortly after 6pm on Wednesday and rise again shortly after 6am on Thursday, giving 12 hours of darkness to view the supermoon.
Viewing conditions for the supermoon in the UK are not ideal, according to the Met Office, with most of the country covered in cloud on Wednesday night.
The Midlands appear to offer the best chance of viewing the full moon, with only partial cloud covering the sky.
The next supermoon won’t take place until 9 February 2020, though sky gazers will be happy to know it will be the first of four that year.
Other celestial events in the calendar for this year include the Lyrids meteor shower on 22 April, the Eta Aquarids meteor shower on 6 May and a total solar eclipse on 2 July – though this final event will only be visible in certain areas of the Southern Hemisphere.
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