supermoon next to Greek temple
A supermoon rises next to the ancient Greek temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion in 2013 Getty

A "supermoon" will light up the night sky in spectacular fashion on Sunday evening as it coincides with the biggest and brightest meteor shower.

The moon will become full as it reaches the point in its orbit that is closest to the sun, on Sunday 10 August.

The online Slooh Community Telescope will provide a live broadcast of the astronomical event, which you can watch here.

It will appear up to 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons during the year and along with the Perseids meteor shower display, it is set to be a show-stopping evening.

The Perseids, which takes place between 9 and 14 August, is one of the best showers of the year, with around 100 meteors per hour expected.

The moon will be around 31,000 miles closer than when it is at its furthest away from the Earth.

Dr Robert Massey, of the Royal Astronomical Society, told the Daily Telegraph that skywatchers would be able to notice the phenomenon: "Certainly the moon will be bigger in the sky compared with normal."

According to Massey, the best view of the mega-moon will be from northern Scotland, where the moon will appear lowest on the horizon.

What is a supermoon?

A supermoon is the coincidence of a full or new moon with the closest approach to Earth on its elliptical orbit. Called a "perigee moon", the event results in the moon appearing brighter and larger.

The term "supermoon" is not astronomical, but originated in modern astrology. The association of the Moon with both oceanic and crustal tides has led to speculation that the supermoon phenomenon could be linked to earthquakes or volanic eruptions, but this is unproven.

Supermoons usually occur around every 13 months and 18 days, but are sometimes obscured by bad weather.

However, this upcoming supermoon is the second in a series of three in short succession. The first took place on 12 July and the final will appear on 9 September.

Geoff Chester of the United States Naval Observatory, told Nasa Science News: "It's not all that unusual. In fact, just last year there were three perigee Moons in a row, but only one was widely reported."

Related