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Supermoon and lunar eclipse delight stargazers

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Supermoon and lunar eclipse delight stargazers

A supermoon has lit up the sky across the world coinciding with a rare partial lunar eclipse.

The Moon could be seen to appear brighter and bigger on Tuesday night.

Supermoons happen when the Moon is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit.

A rare partial lunar eclipse – when the Earth’s shadow covers part of the Moon – also happened with about 4% of the Moon’s disc covered in darkness.

Over night from Tuesday into Wednesday, the partial lunar eclipse was visible across the globe – with some of the clearest sightings in the UK and the US.

In the UK it occurred between 01:40 BST and 05:47, reaching its peak at 03:44.

For those in the US, the eclipse is visible between 20:41 EST and 00:47 – or 22:44 at its maximum.

The eclipse was also visible in Latin America, Europe and Africa, as well as small parts of Asia and the Middle East .

This month’s full moon – known as the Harvest moon – is the second of four “supermoons” this year.

The next partial eclipse will be in August 2026, which will be special as around 96% of the Moon will be in shadow.

Spotted Norwegian Air Shuttle flight DY1811 transiting across the rising full moon.

A passenger jet is seen crossing in front of the supermoon in Gloucestershire [BBC Weather Watchers/Woody’s Elf]

Partial lunar eclipse at the Samalayuca Dunes on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, MexicoPartial lunar eclipse at the Samalayuca Dunes on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

This image of the partial lunar eclipse was captured in Mexico [Reuters]

Supermoon shines over the water at Weston-super-Mare, north Somerset.Supermoon shines over the water at Weston-super-Mare, north Somerset.

The supermoon shines on Weston-super-Mare, north Somerset [BBC Weather Watchers/Roy C]

The moon shines over buildings in Barnsley.The moon shines over buildings in Barnsley.

The supermoon above buildings in Barnsley [BBC Weather Watchers/Claire Meadows]

Moon rises in Caracas, Venezuela Moon rises in Caracas, Venezuela

The Moon seen from Caracas, Venezuela [Getty Images]

A supermoon seen from Nanjing, China A supermoon seen from Nanjing, China

The Moon seen from Nanjing in China’s eastern Jiangsu province [Getty Images]

A full moon rises over the Golan Heights A full moon rises over the Golan Heights

The supermoon rises over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights [BBC]

A man sets up a telescope in IndonesiaA man sets up a telescope in Indonesia

A stargazer sets up a telescope in Indonesia [Getty Images]

Walkers walk across Sydney Harbour BridgeWalkers walk across Sydney Harbour Bridge

The silhouette of climbers descending from the summit of Sydney Harbour Bridge [BBC]

Full Moon rises behind the Galata Tower in Istanbul, TurkiyeFull Moon rises behind the Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkiye

The Moon rises behind the Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkey [Getty Images]

A plane flies in front of the Moon in TorontoA plane flies in front of the Moon in Toronto

A plane flies in front of the Moon in Toronto [Getty Images]

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