Moon moves closest to Earth in 20 years

USA: Incredible pictures show the moon at its closest point to Earth.

These amazing pictures show just how big and bright last nights spectacular Supermoon was.

The moon appeared 14% bigger and 30% brighter than normal as it reached the point in its orbit closest to the Earth, known as "perigee". The moon was 'just' 221,765 miles away, 31,000 miles closer than when its furthest away.

Night owls around the world grabbed their mobile phones to take impressive snapshots of the spectacle - which comes two days before the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak.

Given a dark, clear sky in a normal year, it is common to see more than 100 of the meteors an hour during the second week in August.

Dr Bill Cooke from the American space agency Nasa's Meteoroid Environment Office, said the luminous "supermoon" risked drowning out the meteor shower.

He said: "Lunar glare wipes out the black-velvety backdrop required to see faint meteors, and sharply reduces counts."

Dr Cooke added that the Perseids were also "rich in fireballs as bright as Jupiter or Venus" that would remain visible despite the moon's glare.

A study conducted by his team since 2008 has shown the Perseids to be the undisputed "fireball champion" of meteor showers.

"We see more fireballs from Swift-Tuttle than any other parent comet," said Dr Cooke.

Every 133 years, comet Swift-Tuttle swings through the inner Solar System leaving behind a trail of dust.

When the Earth passes through, the dust cloud particles hit the atmosphere at 140,000 mph and burn up in streaking flashes of light, creating the spectacle known as the Perseids.

The meteors will be visible until Wednesday, with activity peaking tomorrow.