PHOTOGRAPHERS across Dorset and the New Forest captured the “largest and brightest” supermoon of the year on Thursday evening.

This month’s full moon, called the Hunter’s Moon, is the third of four supermoons in 2024.

During this time, the Earth’s natural satellite will appear around 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter.

The celestial event was visible after sunset and gradually got brighter throughout the night, shining through the early morning fog.

Daniel Brown, associate professor in astronomy at Nottingham Trent University, said: “The October full moon appears as the largest and brightest supermoon of the four this year, being 76km closer than last month’s full moon.

“It is always exciting to notice changes in colour due to our atmosphere and explore the ‘moon illusion’ where the moon only seems to look huge given its proximity to the horizon, where there is context alongside buildings, trees and other features.

“If the moon is high in the sky and you don’t have that context, it seems just a distant object and much smaller.”

The term supermoon was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 as either a new or full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90 per cent of its closest approach to Earth.