Met Office issues huge Comet A3 alert for TONIGHT - and there's a major Supermoon bonus

People are being urged to head outside tonight and watch the "comet of the century" as well as the brightest supermoon of the year, known as Hunter's Moon, weather permitting

Brit stargazers will have a chance to get a clear view of the “comet of the century” looking west and the brightest supermoon of the year.

The Comet A3, also known as Tsuchinshan-Atlas, has headed towards Earth from the outer reaches of the solar system and has been visible in recent nights from the UK. The Met Office has said that people will have another chance to see it on Thursday night before it disappears for another 80,000 years.

And for people heading out to take a look, they will also be able to see a full moon, weather permitting. It is the brightest supermoon of the year and known as Hunter’s Moon as traditionally it is when people hunt for food before winter sets in.

The Hunter’s Moon is the third of four supermoons this year. During this time, the Earth’s natural satellite will appear around 14% bigger and 30% brighter. The celestial event is expected to be visible after sunset and will gradually get brighter throughout the night.

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% of its closest approach to Earth. Forecasters say the skies will mostly be clear across the UK, except for cloudy patches in western Scotland.

Jason Kelly, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Pretty much the whole of the UK has a good chance of clear skies this evening. Western Scotland will be a bit cloudier, perhaps preventing prolonged views of the moon here, but otherwise cloud amounts will be patchy and should not limit views of the supermoon or comet for prolonged periods of time.

“Isolated fog patches will form by midnight, with more extensive low cloud and fog forming during the early hours. This will mean a less favourable (but still moderate-to-high) chance of seeing the moon later in the night.”

The Comet A3 has been called "the comet of the century" because of how bright and visible it could be, according to the Royal Astronomical Society. Dr Greg Brown, astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich, said the comet is visible in the early evening skies looking westwards.

"Low on the horizon at sunset, it is best to wait a while for the sky to darken a bit before trying to see it. Look to the west, just to the left of where the sunset was and, if you are lucky, it should be just about visible to the unaided eye,” he said.

"However, as it is rapidly fading as the days go on, a pair of binoculars or a small telescope will certainly help if you are struggling to find it. It is visible across the country, though a low western horizon is a must, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to be out in the countryside where light pollution is less of a problem."

Between October 12 and 30, people may be able to see the comet using binoculars and the best time of day to look is between 6pm and 6.30pm. The comet was only discovered in January last year, and astronomers said it would last have been visible from our planet around 80,000 years ago when neanderthals were alive. It came from what’s known as the Oort Cloud well beyond Pluto and it is making its closest approach about 44 million miles from Earth.