Harvest Moon delights as it lights up the sky above Bolton

Stargazers in Bolton were treated to another stunning celestial phenomena last night ­— coming just a day after the dazzling Northern Lights were seen in parts of Bolton in the early hours of Tuesday above  Rivington and Angelzarke.

The Harvest Moon coincided with a rare partial lunar eclipse.

A supermoon occurs when the moon appears 30 per cent brighter and 14 per cent bigger in the sky, Becky Mitchell, Met Office meteorologist said.

Picture by Ian Bleakley

She said: “The reason for that is the moon has an orbit around the Earth and the moon is in the part of its orbit where it is closest to the Earth.”

The supermoon was at it fullest on Tuesday night but will still be visible for the next few nights.

Northern Lights in the early hours of Tuesday. Picture Mark Hainey

The partial lunar eclipse – when the Earth’s shadow covers part of the moon – will occur at 3.45am and four per cent of the moon will be covered, Miss Mitchell added.

The partial eclipse peaked at 3.45am.

Picture by Keith Rylance

READ MORE: Northern Lights above Bolton captured in stunning photos

Blue supermoon glows red and orange in the skies above Bolton

The celestial event always occurs before the autumn equinox and signals the start of the new season as we wave goodbye to the summer months.

Picture by Ian Bleakley

The full moon closest to the equinox is always called the Harvest Moon - this is because it's bright enough to allow farmers to work late into the night, bringing home their crops, hence why it has been called the Harvest Moon.

The moon normally falls in September, however, occasionally the October full moon is closer to the equinox and it is then named the Harvest moon.

Picture by Ian Bleakley

There will be a supermoon four times this year, and the next partial eclipse will be in 2026, the forecaster added.

The next full moon, which will be the Hunter's Moon, will take place on October 17 at 12.26pm.