Pictured: The first supermoon of the YEAR… listed below are the perfect pics of the Harvest Moon

Stargazers have been treated to a rare spectacle of a supermoon for the first time this year.

The stunning full Harvest Moon, also known as the Hunter’s Moon, has prompted many across the world to capture it in all its glory on Monday night.   

The best pictures highlighting the moon’s beauty include Spain, where it’s captured shining over windmills in Campo de Criptana.

The brightness, pastel lighting, and detail of the moon make for a postcard-perfect photo.  

It was also captured over the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where the glimmer of the supermoon really showcases the cathedral’s Romanesque structure and creates a dreamy atmosphere in the pastel sky. 

Meanwhile, in Rome, the Harvest Moon was snapped rising behind old building antennas, where the composition manages to capture a lot of great detail of the moon’s craters. 

Here in the UK, some snaps include a photo showing the silhouette of a passenger plane passing in front of the harvest moon in London. 

Others show it gleaming above Canary Wharf, rising above Campbell Park’s Light Pyramid in Milton Keynes, and shining through Tower Bridge. 

The Harvest Moon appears up to 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than normal.   

The last supermoon was last year in November, and this year’s one kicks off a run of three consecutive Hunter’s moons in the coming months.

The moon will be at its fullest on September 7.

The November supermoon, also known as the Beaver Moon, will rise on the 5th of the month.

The next supermoon, appropriately called the Cold Moon, will follow on December 4 and will come alongside a great opportunity to see the planet Jupiter.

Why is the Harvest Moon so special?  

The Harvest Moon is the full moon which rises closest to the Autumn Equinox, the point at which day and night are the same length.

It usually falls in September, but this year the equinox came on September 22 – making the October full moon this year’s Harvest Moon.

All the full moons in the year have their own unique names and associated traditions, but the Harvest Moon is special for a scientific reason.

Due to the shape of the moon’s orbit around Earth, the moon rises at almost exactly the same time during the nights surrounding the Harvest Moon.

That means there are a few nights near the equinox when there is consistent, bright moonlight every evening.

That allowed farmers to harvest their crops at night before the start of the colder months.

This was also a great help to hunters who would be looking to stock up on meat and supplies ahead of winter, giving it the alternative name of the Hunter’s Moon.

But for modern–day stargazers, this consistency also makes the Harvest Moon one of the easiest full moons to watch rise since the timing is so consistent.

Excitingly, this year’s Harvest Moon happens to fall at the same time as a supermoon. 

Since the moon’s orbit around Earth is oval rather than round, our lunar satellite is closer or further away during different parts of the month.

A supermoon refers to a full moon which happens while the moon is within 90 per cent of its closest point to Earth, known as a perigee.

Typically, the moon orbits the Earth at an average distance of 252,000 miles (405,500 km) from Earth.

However, at its perigee, the moon can reach a distance of around 226,000 miles (363,300 km).

That means the moon appears to be brighter and larger than normal, although it can be difficult to see the difference with the naked eye.