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Astronomy enthusiasts are in for a treat tonight as three celestial events are set to coincide, putting on a spectacular display in the night sky.

A full "Snow Moon", a lunar eclipse and a passing comet should all be visible from Earth on the same day.

Anyone hoping to catch a glimpse of this rare event need only turn their eyes skywards on the night of February 10, through to the morning of February 11.

Here's what to look out for and when:

Full Snow Moon

(Image: Getty)

February's full moon is traditionally called the Snow Moon because usually the heaviest snows fall in February.

Deep snow made hunting more difficult, the moon was also called the Hunger Moon by some tribes struggling to find food.

The Moon will rise at 16:44 GMT on the evening of February 10 and set at 07:30 the following morning. It will rise again at 17:56 GMT on February 11.

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align in an almost straight line.

When this happens, the Earth blocks some of the Sun's light from directly reaching the Moon's surface, and covers a part of the Moon with the outer part of its shadow - also known as the penumbra.

The rest receives the same amount of sunlight as usual, making the penumbral eclipse more difficult to observe than a total or partial eclipse.

The penumbral eclipse is due to start at 22:34 GMT on February 10, peak at 00.43 on February 11, and end at 02:53.

It will be visible from Europe, most of Asia, Africa and most of North America.

New Year comet

(Image: NASA)

Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdušáková is named after the astronomers who discovered it in 1948 - Minoru Honda, Antonín Mrkos, and Ľudmila Pajdušáková.

It is a periodic comet, meaning it follows a predictable path around the sun, and can be seen from Earth every five and a quarter years.

It has recently been dubbed the "New Year comet" as it started its journey across northern hemisphere skies at the tail end of 2016.

The comet will be visible to the naked eye as it makes its closest approach to Earth on February 11.

How to take photos

Imaging experts Canon have put together some foolproof tips on how to photograph the moon at its best, allowing you to make the most of this natural phenomenon.

Choose a suitable location

Start by finding out when and where the moon will be visible in the night sky, checking the times it will be at its highest. There are plenty of lunar apps and websites that can give all the info you need about ascent and descent of the moon. Set yourself up somewhere with minimal visual interruption so trees, lamp-posts etc. don’t spoil the shots. Master the elements

Moving a camera from a warm area to cold can heighten the effect of condensation on the lens. To avoid this, gradually acclimatise the camera before getting it set up, and in case of any rogue droplets, carry plenty of clothes and lens cleaner. Zoom

When you settle on your timing and location, the technique is easy to master. You are best to work with a god zoom lens to get the subject at a reasonable size in the frame. Using a tripod to keep your camera still, set the self-timer to a few seconds in the Setup menu so you are less likely to disturb or shake the camera. Cameras like the PowerShot G3 X with its large zoom give the desired results without need for an additional lens. Likewise, the PowerShot SX60 has a good built in zoom function. Set camera functions

Your camera should be set to manual mode and your lens on manual focus. Your exact exposure will vary according to the conditions, and as a general rule, avoid using a slower shutter speed when working with adjusted settings or the moon may appear blurred.