What the last 'super blue moon' actually looked like

Stargazers in the UK are in for a rare treat on Thursday night as a super blue moon will grace the skies.

Jimmy Nsubuga
Updated ·2 min read
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 31: A supermoon rises behind St. Paul's Cathedral on January 31, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. The super blue blood moon is a rare combination of a supermoon, a blood moon and a blue moon all simultaneously occuring. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)
A supermoon rises behind St Paul's Cathedral in January 2018. (Getty)

Stargazers in the UK are in for a rare treat on Thursday night as a super blue moon will grace the skies.

Unlike its name suggests, a blue moon is not named after the colour and instead refers to the second full moon in one calendar month.

Most months only have one full moon, so a second is quite a rare event, occurring approximately once every two or three years.

The moon appears larger than usual and will rise at around 8pm on Thursday, setting at around 6am the following day.

Read more: Super blue moon: The best time to see it in the UK tonight

The peak of the full moon – when the near side of it is completely lit up by the sun – is at 2.35am on Friday.

Don’t worry if you can’t stay up into the early hours as experts say it will not look noticeably different during the night.

The best time to catch a glimpse is when your local conditions are best suited to a clear sky – low cloud cover, favourable weather, and no obstructions on the horizon – such as buildings or trees.

This is the first super blue moon since 2018, here Yahoo News shows how it appeared around the world five years ago:

A super blue blood moon is seen from Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway, January 31, 2018. NTB Scanpix/Heiko Junge/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY.
Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway. (Reuters)
A
Bangkok, Thailand. (Reuters)
The moon is seen during a lunar eclipse, referred to as the
Quito, Ecuador. (Getty)
NEW YORK, USA - JANUARY 31: The Empire State building is seen as a full moon rises behind the building in New York, United States on January 31, 2018. The 'Super Blue Blood Moon' is a rare 'lunar trifecta' event in which the moon is at its closest to the earth, appearing bigger and brighter than usual and is simultaneously a 'blue moon', the second full moon in the same month, and in total lunar eclipse or 'blood moon'. For the first time in 152 years, a super moon, blue moon, and total lunar eclipse coincide. (Photo by Atilgan Ozdil/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
New York, USA. (Getty)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 31: The eclipsed super blue blood moon sets next to the Statue of Liberty at sunrise on January 30, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Corbis via Getty Images)
New York, USA. (Getty)
BEIJING, CHINA - JANUARY 31: (Image taken with double exposure) A Super Blood Moon rises over buildings on January 31, 2018 in Beijing, China. The moon turns red and blue during a total lunar eclipse on Wednesday night. (Photo by Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images)
Beijing, China. (Getty)
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA. - JANUARY 31: A surfer rides a wave as the super blue blood moon eclipse sets over the Huntington Beach pier January 31, 2018. (Photo by Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Huntington Beach, California. (Getty)
TOPSHOT - The moon is seen during a lunar eclipse, referred to as the
The Acropolis in Athens. (Getty)
PORTSMOUTH, UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 31: A Super Blue Blood Moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth on January 31, 2018 in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. A Super Blue Blood Moon is the result of three lunar phenomena happening all at once: not only is it the second full moon in January, but the moon will also be close to its nearest point to Earth on its orbit, and be totally eclipsed by the Earth's shadow. The last time these events coincided was in 1866, 152 years ago (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
The Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth. (Getty)
PORTSMOUTH, UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 31: A Super Blue Blood Moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth on January 31, 2018 in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. A Super Blue Blood Moon is the result of three lunar phenomena happening all at once: not only is it the second full moon in January, but the moon will also be close to its nearest point to Earth on its orbit, and be totally eclipsed by the Earth's shadow. The last time these events coincided was in 1866, 152 years ago (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
The Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth. (Getty)
STRATTON-ON-THE-FOSSE, UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 01: A Super Blue Blood Moon sets behind Downside Abbey, a Benedictine monastery, in Stratton-on-the-Fosse on February 1, 2018 in Somerset, England. Last night's Super Blue Blood Moon was the result of three lunar phenomena happening all at once: not only is it the second full moon in January, but the moon will also be close to its nearest point to Earth on its orbit, and be totally eclipsed by the Earth's shadow. The last time these events coincided was in 1866, 152 years ago. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Downside Abbey in Somerset. (Getty)
PORTSMOUTH, UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 31: A Super Blue Blood Moon rises above Portsmouth on January 31, 2018 in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. A Super Blue Blood Moon is the result of three lunar phenomena happening all at once: not only is it the second full moon in January, but the moon will also be close to its nearest point to Earth on its orbit, and be totally eclipsed by the Earth's shadow. The last time these events coincided was in 1866, 152 years ago (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Portsmouth, United Kingdom. (Getty)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 31: A supermoon rises behind St. Paul's Cathedral and skycrapers on January 31, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. The super blue blood moon is a rare combination of a supermoon, a blood moon and a blue moon all simultaneously occuring. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)
St Paul's Cathedral and skycrapers in London. (Getty)
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 31: A supermoon rises behind St. Paul's Cathedral on January 31, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. The super blue blood moon is a rare combination of a supermoon, a blood moon and a blue moon all simultaneously occuring. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)
St Paul's Cathedral in London. (Getty)
A British Airways Airbus A-319 aircraft from Stuttgart flies in front of a 'super blue moon' on its approach to London Heathrow Airport on January 31, 2018. Stargazers across large swaths of the globe -- from the streets of Los Angeles to the slopes of a smoldering Philippine volcano -- had the chance to witness a rare
A British Airways Airbus A-319 aircraft on its approach to London Heathrow Airport. (Getty)
A plane flies in front of the super blue blood moon in north London Featuring: View Where: London, United Kingdom When: 31 Jan 2018 Credit: WENN.com
A plane flies in front of the super blue blood moon in north London. (Alamy)
London, UK. 31st Jan, 2018. A blue super moon rises over the City of London. Seen from Hungerford Bridge in London. Credit: Claire Doherty/Pacific Press/Alamy Live News
The City of London. (Alamy)
Blue super moon over Molesey Lock, Hampton Court, London, England, UK, Europe. 31st January 2018. Credit: Ian Bottle/Alamy Live News
Molesey Lock, Hampton Court, London. (Alamy)