The moon was its biggest and brightest for 20 years last night as it reached the point where it was closest to earth (called perigee) at the same time as it became full.
Then on Tuesday, the Perseid meteor shower will climax with a show of “fireballs as bright as Jupiter or Venus”. With optimum conditions, it is usually possible to see more than 100 meteors an hour, but the full moon, however, could make the showers difficult to see.
The events are the most dramatic for skywatchers.
The moon hit its full phase at 6.10pm GMT (7.10pm BST) on August 10.
At perigee, the moon is around 31,000 miles closer to the earth than its most distant point and will be up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than other full moons during the year.
The combination of the perigee and the full moon will not occur again until 2034.
The comet Swift-Tuttle is responsible for the Perseid meteor shower it the comet leaves a trail of dust particles which hit the atmosphere at 140,000 mph and burn up, causing the streaking flashes of light.
The meteors may be spotted between Saturday and Wednesday, but experts saying that Tuesday will see peak activity.
