Over the moon: The lunar spectacle that was bigger and brighter than ever (even though most of us missed it)

If the shortening days were getting you down, last night's amazing full moon was sure to raise the spirits.



It appeared 14 per cent bigger than usual and a stunning 30 per cent brighter thanks to a rare, natural coincidence.

But Star gazers in most of Britain had to work to catch a glimpse of the spectacular phenomenon, though, because of cloud cover.

A jet takes off from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as the enlarged full moon rises in the background

Each month the moon orbits the Earth and last night it skimmed by at its closest distance for the last 15 years.

The moon passed a mere 356,613 km away from us - 28,000 km closer than normal.



The 15-year spectacular occurred as the moon's perigee - the closest point that it passes Earth - coincided with the full moon.

The Met Office's Andy Hobson had warned: 'There's a good chance that people will miss it as most of the country has a band of rain over it.'

'There's a chance they could see it, most likely in the north of Scotland.'

He said the early birds had the best chances of catching the moon at its best. 'The sky clears up in the West, in Wales, the South West of England and in Ireland.'

A sighting near Castleisland in Co Kerry, Ireland - one of the few parts of the British isles where the spectacle could be seen. Most parts were too cloudy



The moon rises beside a Christmas tree in Huntsville, Alabama



If bad weather did cloud your view, moongazers will have to wait for another eight years - until November 14, 2016 - for the next close encounter.

The closeness of the moon last night also had an effect on tides, dragging the high-water mark up another 2in.

Thanks to its increased proximity, it exerted an even greater pull than the usual full moon.

But the Environment Agency said that it was not expecting the unusual tides to cause any significant problems around the British coastline.

The amazing lunar spectacle over the picturesque town of Winterberg in Germany



Moonshine: Last night's sky was lit up by a moon 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter than the norm

'The risk of tidal flooding is still low,' a spokesman said.

'But there are 31 flood watches in place. This is to do with rain rather than any lunar effects.'

A total of 15 watches were in place in the north-west of England, nine in the Midlands, and seven in the Thames area.

With the approach of the winter solstice on December 21, combined with the current tilt of the Earth, the moon climbed to its highest point in the night's sky for the entire year.

Phenomenon: The moon rises behind bride Kailey Wilson in Alberta, Canada



A large ring surrounds the moon over the Wasatch Mountains in Provo, Utah



And the phenomenon coincided with the annual Geminid meteor shower which begins last night and continues for two days.



The 'shooting stars' appear from the constellation Gemini but can be seen all over the sky - although stargazers are recommended to look away because of the brightness of the moon.

It is probably the extinct hulk of a comet's nucleus which released the Geminids meteoroids during its active phase some 4,000 or more years ago.



The Geminids' splendour, though, might have been slightly dimmed by the huge, bright moon.



















