What is a Blue Moon and when can you see it?

Stargazers are in for a real treat later this week, as May's second full Moon is set to peak across our skies.

This is known as a Blue Moon - and usually only takes place every two or three years.

Not only that, this rare moon is set to be a micromoon too.

But why do some months have two full Moons, and when will you be able to see it in the UK?

Keep reading to find out..

You may have heard of the phrase "Once in a Blue Moon" before.

People use this phrase when they are talking about something rare, that doesn't happen very often.

But did you know it has a link to astronomy?

There are in fact two definitions of a Blue Moon - and neither of them have anything to do with the colour of our satellite.

The first one describes the third full moon in a season which has four full moons in total.

However, the term is also used to describe a rare event that happens every two to three years.

It takes a year for the Earth to orbit the Sun once and the Moon takes 29.5 days to complete one cycle around the Earth.

This means that 12 full cycles of the Moon around the Earth takes 354 days. That's less than the 365 days (or 366 days during a leap year) in our calendar year.

As the time frames don't quite match up, every two to three years we end up getting a 13th full moon, with two full months seen in a single month.

There's not long to go until the next Blue Moon is visible in UK skies.

It will reach its peak at 9.45am on Sunday 31 May, according to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, although these timings can slightly change depending on where in the UK you are.

It will also look full in the days before and after the peak, so you might have an extra chance to spot it.

This Blue Moon is also set to be a micromoon - meaning it will appear slightly smaller and less bright than usual.

This is because the full moon will occur when the moon is near its furthest point away from Earth in its orbit.