Strawberry Supermoon to be visible in Ireland tonight – and it’s the last one of the year

The next supermoon won't be visible until next year, so have your fingers crossed for clear skies tonight.

The last supermoon of the year - the Strawberry Supermoon - will be visible in Irish skies this evening. The moon actually appeared at its largest last night, but if this evening is clear, sky-gazers can still get a good look at the lunar event tonight. The term supermoon is used to describe the moon when it appears at its biggest and brightest. This occurs when it is at its closest to Earth. During this time, the moon can look up to 14% bigger, and 30% brighter than it usually does. When a supermoon occurs in the month of June, it's given the name "Strawberry Supermoon", which originates from a Native American naming tradition. This is because the strawberry fruit ripens in the Northern Hemisphere around this time of the year. The June supermoon is also known as the Hot Moon or the Rose Moon. Tonight's supermoon will be the last one of the year. In 2021, we already got a glimpse of the Super Worm Moon in March, and the Super Pink Moon at the end of April. While supermoons can be stunning to the naked eye, photography often fails to do them justice. In order to capture it in all its glory on your phone, amateur photographers are advised to allow their own eyes to adjust the the darkness of the night for 20 minutes. It's also important to turn your flash off, and to keep your ISO sensitivity down. Setting your focus to 100 is also said to help. If you really want to go the extra mile, there are night photography apps which can help you capture the moon at its best. The next supermoon won't be visible until 14 June 2022, so have your fingers crossed for clear skies tonight!