A genuine "supermoon" lit up the skies across the world on Sunday as stargazers on Earth -- and above it -- enjoyed the Perseid meteor shower - one of the year's most dramatic lunar events. (Even without the Daily Mirror's 'aliens'.)
The moon appeared 14% bigger and 30% brighter than normal as it reached the point in its orbit closest to the Earth, known as "perigee". Dr Bill Cooke from the American space agency Nasa's Meteoroid Environment Office, said the luminous "supermoon" risked drowning out the meteor shower. He said: "Lunar glare wipes out the black-velvety backdrop required to see faint meteors, and sharply reduces counts." Dr Cooke added that the Perseids were also "rich in fireballs as bright as Jupiter or Venus" that would remain visible despite the moon's glare.
A study conducted by his team since 2008 has shown the Perseids to be the undisputed "fireball champion" of meteor showers. "We see more fireballs from Swift-Tuttle than any other parent comet," said Dr Cooke. Every 133 years, comet Swift-Tuttle swings through the inner Solar System leaving behind a trail of dust. When the Earth passes through, the dust cloud particles hit the atmosphere at 140,000 mph and burn up in streaking flashes of light, creating the spectacle known as the Perseids. The meteors will be visible until Wednesday, with activity peaking on Tuesday. An unusually bright full "supermoon" was also seen on July 12, and another is due to appear on September 9. Supermoons occur relatively often, every 13 months and 18 days, but are not always noticed because of clouds or poor weather.