Irish stargazers are in for a busy few weeks of space activity - all visible from Ireland - as the final glimpse of the Strawberry Moon will be in sight tonight.
The moon is due to be at its closest approach to the Earth just before midnight tonight, meaning the supermoon will be most visible at that point.
It will appear around 30% brighter and 14% larger than an average full moon and marks the second supermoon of the year.
Its name - Strawberry Moon - stems from the wild strawberries that are gathered by Native American tribes after they ripen in June.
The stunning view will be enjoyed not just by Irish space lovers, but by people across the globe as David Moore, Chairman of Astronomy Ireland and Editor of Astronomy Ireland magazine, told the Irish Mirror: “The whole planet will be able to see it. Everywhere in the world, as soon as it gets dark, the sun will go down and the moon will come up because the full moon is directly opposite the sun in the sky.
“And that happens tonight, just before midnight.”
Those who are in the know on all things space may have already caught a glimpse of the giant full moon as Mr. Moore confirmed: “The moon was technically full yesterday, Tuesday, because to the naked eye, it looks full for three nights - so Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I actually saw it on Monday night, but couldn’t see it last night because of the clouds, so will hopefully be able to catch it again tonight.”
He says as long as you’re willing to wait until midnight and for a break in the clouds, you should be able to catch a glimpse of it wherever you may be.
“It will be visible until dawn, then as the sun rises, the moon will be setting, so that’s around 5:00 am. So roughly between sunset and sunrise is when you’re going to see this full moon.”
Aside from the stunning view that will be on show tonight, Mr. Moore confirmed that there are plenty of opportunities in the coming weeks to see a whole host of space phenomena.
“There is loads happening all the time, so we just had the international space station blazing across the sky and it’s 100 times brighter than the brightest stars in the sky. So if you follow our social media, we publish estimates of when this is visible.
“There is also an aurora, so the Northern Lights, forecast for tonight, June 15. We’re not sure how strong it will be but there was an explosion on the Sun and that’s expected to throw radiation particles that cause the Northern Lights towards the earth.
“Probably late tonight, but possibly tomorrow as well, but our social media channels will be posting updates about when it will be visible.
“That will be seen low on the Northern horizon, and if you’re out of the city you will have a better view, but we do have to have a clear sky I’m afraid.
Then on June 21 “there is the solstice which is, despite what everybody will tell you, the official start of the summer in Ireland - always has been, always will be.”
For those who like rising from bed at dawn “the brightest planet in the sky, Jupiter, will be very near the moon next Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
“Bad news is, you would probably need to be up at about 3:00 am to see that.
“If you can find the moon with your telescope, and see an incredibly bright-looking star near it, that’s actually the planet Jupiter, which is the biggest planet in the solar system.”
Then “on Sunday morning, at around 3:00 am, the planet Venus will be very close. So there is plenty happening in June, and there is a similar suite of things happening in July as well.”
If you want to stay up to date with all the possible space viewings across the country, you can follow Astronomy Ireland on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for timely updates.
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter.
