A rare ‘once in a lifetime’ super blue moon is happening this week

As stargazers get ready for a rare celestial event this week, astronomers have given the exact time fans can look up at the sky to witness a super blue moon.

The lunar event, which won’t happen again for another 14 years, will peak on Wednesday but will be visible all week.

The last super blue moon happened in 2009 and won’t come around again until 2037.

The term super blue moon refers to a combination of two lunar events: a supermoon and a blue moon.

A supermoon happens when the moon is at its nearest point to the earth in its orbit, making for a larger and brighter appearance in the night sky.

A blue moon is a term used to describe a second full moon that appears in a calendar month – it doesn’t refer to the colour.

Experts say the best time to see it is at 7.52pm on Wednesday, August 30th. For the best view, it is advisable to be away from light pollution and to watch as the moon is rising.

Patchy clouds are forecast with some clear spells but stargazers will be in with a good chance to see the rare lunar event.

To make it an even rarer and spectacular sight to witness, the planet Saturn will be just above the moon so keep your eyes peeled for it.

Astronomy expert David Moore told the BBC: “So, for a super blue moon to have a bright planet close to it is extremely rare, probably once in a lifetime or rarer.”

Every year we have 12 full moons with each having their own individual name including a Wolf Moon, Pink Moon, Harvest Moon, Worm Moon and a Snow Moon.