'Disappointment' for stargazers in Ireland as clouds eclipse first supermoon of August 

The supermoon rises beyond a beer sign at Kauffmann Stadium during a baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets on Tuesday in Kansas City, USA. Photo: AP/Charlie Riedel

Stargazers in Ireland were left disappointed as low-cloud cover prevented viewers from seeing the lunar extravaganza which was the Sturgeon Supermoon on Tuesday night. 

However, luck could just be on our side as a rare Super Blue Moon is expected at the end of the month and it is expected to be a spectacular sight, weather permitting. 

A cable car moves towards Sugar Loaf mountain as a supermoon rises on the night sky in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday. Photo: AP/Silvia Izquierdo

The first August full moon is named after the Sturgeon fish that was mostly caught by Native Americans in the Great Lakes at this time of year. 

A supermoon usually happens when a full moon is at its closest point to the Earth in its orbit. And when this happens, it appears slightly bigger in the sky and is usually around 30% brighter. 

The orbital period for the moon around the Earth is usually 29.5 days, which means two full moons are possible in a normal month. This is why August will be seeing two this year. 

While the rest of the world was left moonstruck by the lunar phenomenon on Tuesday night, stargazers in Ireland were only met with low clouds, mist and rain. 

A supermoon rises over the West End Tower at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, USA on Tuesday. Photo: AP/George Walker IV

"Unfortunately, in the world of astro, there is a saying that if there's ever going to be a prediction of when clouds are going to occur, it is going to be on a night when something fantastic is happening in the sky," Danielle Wilcox from the MTU Blackrock Castle Observatory told the Irish Examiner. "And last night was no exception."

"It's unfortunate, but we do have another one coming up at the end of the month. So there is still a possibility [to see a supermoon]." 

The Super Blue Moon is expected to grace Irish skies on August 30, and it is the perfect opportunity for stargazers to see this rare phenomenon that, according to Nasa, happens on average once every 10 years. 

The supermoon behind a statue of an angel atop the Alexander Column at the Palace Square in St Petersburg, Russia, on Tuesday. Photo: AP/Dmitri Lovetsky

"We all know the saying 'it happens once in a blue moon', so blue moons don't happen very often. So then to have it coincide with the Super Blue Moon, that's even more unlikely," Ms Wilcox said. "It is an exciting time to get out there."

There have been two supermoons so far this year, with a third expected at the end of August. A fourth and final one is expected on September 29 with the Harvest Moon.