Super 'Flower' Moon dazzles skygazers as it put on a stunning display in the clear sky last night - and another spectacular showing from the final supermoon of 2020 is expected TONIGHT (13 Pics)

The final supermoon of 2020 made an appearance in the night sky last night and stunned stargazers with its sheer size and brightness.  

Stunning images from the UK, Europe and the rest of the northern hemisphere reveal the dazzling celestial showcase as it provides an awe-inspiring backdrop to some of the world's most iconic locations. 

Due to its elliptical orbit, the moon was at its closest point to Earth and therefore appeared to be six per cent bigger than usual.

The moon is set to reach perigee — the point where it is at its fullest — at around 11.45am BST Thursday morning, but it will be hidden below the horizon. 

However, the moon was still exceptionally large on the evening on Wednesday May 6 and in the early hours of May 7. 

Today (May 7), moonrise is expected to be around 8.45pm BST and, providing the skies remain clear, astronomers can expect more astonishing views. 

It is known as the 'Flower Moon' due to early-May being revered as a period of increased fertility in Native American culture. Other names for this supermoon include Mother's Moon, Milk Moon and Corn Planting Moon. 

Pictured, the stunning Flower moon is seen setting above Stonehenge last night. The moon was still exceptionally large on the evening on Wednesday May 6 and in the early hours of May 7

The startlingly large full moon was seen early this morning over Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkey (pictured). Today (May 7), moonrise is expected to be around 8.45pm BST and, providing the skies remain clear, astronomers can expect more astonishing views

The full moon rises beyond clouds and the spires on a downtown apartment building in Kansas City, Missouri, yesterday. It is called the 'Flower Moon' due to early-May being revered as a period of increased fertility in Native American culture

Stunning images from across the UK and Europe reveal the dazzling celestial showcase put on by the moon as it provides an awe-inspiring backdrop to some of the world's most iconic locations. Pictured, the full moon sets behind trees in the Taunus region near Frankfurt, Germany this morning

Greg Brown, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory, said yesterday: 'Times for moonrise and set vary slightly across the UK, but not by more than about 10 minutes or so.' 

This supermoon is about about six per cent larger than a typical full moon and around 14 per cent bigger than a micromoon, which is when the moon is at its furthest point from Earth. 

Dr Brown said: 'The moon's orbit around the Earth is not entirely circular, instead a slightly flattened circle or ellipse.

'As such, it is sometimes closer to and sometimes further away from the Earth.

'While definitions vary, a supermoon typically occurs when a full moon coincides with the moon being within the closest 10 per cent of its orbit.'

Pictured, the full Flower moon is seen behind a hammer and sickle, parts of the sculpture of 'Worker and Kolkhoz Woman,' in Moscow. The moon is set to reach perigee — the point where it is at its fullest — at around 11.45am BST Thursday morning, but it will be hidden below the horizon

The Flower Moon is seen here at 99 per cent fullness behind Victoria Tower on Castle Hill yesterday. 100 per cent fullness occurs when the moon is below the horizon but another stunning celestial display will occur tonight

Pictured, the full Flower Moon sits in the sky above buildings being constructed in Pamplona, Spain.This supermoon is about about six per cent larger than a typical full moon and around 14 per cent bigger than a micromoon

Dr Brown also said this event would be the third and final supermoon of this year.

He added: 'Because of how the dynamics of orbits work, these usually occur in runs of two or three with longer gaps of several months between each set of supermoons.'

The full moon comes in the midst of another celestial display - the Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower, which reached its peak earlier this week.

The Eta Aquariids take place every year from the middle of April until the end of May, when Earth passes through the stream of debris left behind by Halley's Comet.

This results in dozens of shooting stars every hour. Like tomorrow's supermoon, they are visible with the naked eye and did not require a telescope or specialist equipment, 

The current supermoon is the third and final such event of 2020 and it is also the smallest of the trio, which occurred on March 9 and April 7-8. 

The next supermoon will be visible in April 2021, with the Flower Moon being the last one of 2020. 

Pictured, the stunning backdrop of the supermoon illuminates the silhouette of statues atop St. Isaac cathedral in St Petersburg

Pictured, how the moon looked overnight in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. The full moon comes in the midst of another celestial display - the Eta Aquariids Meteor Shower, which reached its peak earlier this week

The current supermoon is the third and final such event of 2020 and it is also the smallest of the trio, which occurred on March 9 and April 7-8. The next supermoon will be visible in April 2021, with the Flower Moon being the last one of 2020. Pictured, the moon rises over Worthing Seafront Beacon in West Sussex

The moon rises over Windsor Castle in Berkshire yesterday. This month's full moon is also supermoon, meaning it will be about 6 percent larger than a typical full moon and around 14 percent bigger than a micromoon, which is when the moon is at its furthest point from Earth

HOW TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THE MOON ON YOUR IPHONE

There are two main ways you can take images on your iPhone – with the built-in camera software, or via a third-party camera app from the App Store.

You will get the best results using a separate app, but there are some specific settings you need for both.

Using a night-photography app:

1 - Go to the app store and download a night photography app. For iPhone NightCap Pro app is recommended.

2 - Start by reducing ISO, which impacts how sensitive your camera’s sensor is to light.

To do this, launch the Nightcap app and slide your finger downwards on the left hand side of the screen. Set it the ISO to the minimum of 25 to 64, depending on the model of iPhone. 

You will get the best results using a separate app for iPhone. Go to the app store and download a night photography app, like NightCap Pro

3 - Adjust your exposure by sliding your finger up and down on the right side of the screen to adjust brightness, until the moon looks grey instead of white.

4 - Set your focus to 100 (infinity). This usually happens automatically, but if not slide your finger to the right in the bottom half of the screen to adjust it manually.

5 - Once you are happy with the way your image appears on the screen, click the circular shutter button at the bottom of the app to take a shot.

andy stones@andy_stones

@newburyastro @VirtualAstro @NightCapApp @WessexWeather @JonMitchellITV @StormHour #supermoon #halo from Scunthorpe

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Using the iPhone's inbuilt camera:

1 - Turn off the flash. This will only illuminate nearby objects which could ruin your image. To do so, tap the lightning bolt image from the top of the camera app and tap the word 'Off'.

The iPhone 8 and iPhone X now feature enhanced capabilities in low light conditions, to ensure vivid colours are preserved even in the dark.

2 - Zoom in. If you need to make the moon more prominent in your image, now is the time to do this. Pinch on the display with two fingers to zoom in and out.

Digital zooms will reduce the quality of your image, so it is not advisable to use more than 2x zoom.

iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X will let you zoom in with an optical zoom rather than digital zoom, which will provide better results.

3 - Lock the focus on your subject by tapping and holding the screen where the moon appears. This will bring up the square autofocus lock box.

4 - Change the image's exposure by using the sun logo slider on the right hand side of the autofocus lock box. This will prevent the moon from appearing blurry in your images.  

5 - Once you are happy with the way your image appears on the screen, click the circular capture button at the bottom of the app.

It's best to do this remotely if possible, for instance, via the volume buttons on your headphones, to avoid any shaking from your finger.  

andy stones@andy_stones

@newburyastro @NightCapApp @IridiumComm iridium 75 satellite flare -6.6 mag #flarewell

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HOW TO TAKE A PICTURES OF THE MOON ON ANDROID HANDSETS 

Android users have similar options available to them as those on iOS, with a choice between the built in camera app and third party software.

Here's a step by step-guide for the two methods:

Taking a picture of the moon on Android's in-built camera:

Each version of Android may be slightly different, as the operating system can be customised by individual handset manufacturers, so instructions may vary.

1 - Turn off the flash in the camera app. The flash will only light up nearby objects and bounce light back into the lens, which could ruin your shot.

Tap the flash icon on the side or top of the screen and make sure to select the lightning bolt in a circle with a line going through it – depicting the flash as ‘off’

2 -  You'll need to zoom in for the best results. If you need to make the moon more prominent in your image, touch the screen using two fingers and use the spread gesture to zoom in or the pinch gesture to zoom out. However, this will reduce the quality of your image, so it is not advisable to overdo it. 

My attempt at capturing the “Wolf Moon” last night, these are taken with my phone. Who wants to by me a real camera? #WolfMoon #moon #supermoon #Maine @StormHour @WGME @CharlieWGME @mainetoday pic.twitter.com/31lmhRSWN7

— Jan Jensen (@jandavisjensen) January 2, 2018

3 - Many Android phones have a manual mode to drill-down and customise the camera settings. Open the camera app and then tap the three vertical lines icon in the top left corner, then tap manual.

4 - On the left hand-side of the camera interface, you will see a JPG icon.

Tap on it and it will switch to RAW JPG. This will allow corrections to be made to the image while keeping a high-quality image after it has been taken. 

5 - Change the Exposure Value by tapping the EV option on screen and selecting a low exposure.

6 - Select the ISO option and choose a value of between 80 and 100.

7 - Increase the shutter speed, using the S option on screen,  and choose the longest option. This will keep the shutter open for longer, so ensuring the camera is still while the photo is being taken is crucial .

8 - Once you're happy with the way your image appears on the screen, click the circular capture button at the bottom of the app.

Using a third-party app to enhance your image:

1 - Go to the Google Play and download a relevant app. Adobe's Lightroom app, which is available for iPhone, lets you enhance photos once they have been taken and get the most out of your Android's camera.

2 - Open the Lightroom App and click on the camera icon in the bottom right hand corner, if you want to use its inbuilt camera. Alternatively, jump to step 7 to alter images taken with the inbuilt Android app. 

3 - Make sure sure the File Format is set to DNG rather than JPG. This is an uncompressed raw format, similar to those used by professional photographers, which captures far greater detail.

Adobe's Lightroom app, which is also available for iPhone, lets you enhance photos once they have been taken and get the most out of your Android's camera

4 - Reduce the exposure by swiping left with your finger on the image, until the moon looks grey instead of white. If you take this too far, you can increase the exposure by swiping right. 

5 - Make sure your flash is turned off by clicking on the lightning icon in the top right hand corner and selecting off. 

6 - Once you are happy with the way your image appears on the screen, click the circular capture button at the bottom of the app.

7 - Edit your image within the Lightroom app, which uses technology from Adobe Photoshop to enhance your pictures. This includes increasing clarity and zooming in on an image once it has been taken.

To edit your image, click the X button on the camera window, then select the image you wish to edit. A range of tools are then available at the bottom of the screen.