Blue supermoon lights up skies in UAE and around the world

The Moon appears larger and brighter by its closer proximity to Earth during rare event

A blue or sturgeon supermoon appears above Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The supermoon rises over in Dubai. AP

The supermoon rises over the flare stacks of an oil field near the southern port city of Basra in Iraq. AFP

A man takes a photo of the supermoon as it rises over the lighthouses at Kalk Bay Harbour in Cape Town, South Africa. Reuters

The first supermoon of the year rises next to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. Reuters

The supermoon is seen next to the 123-storey Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea. Reuters

The buildings of the financial district of Lujiazui in Shanghai are illuminated by the rising supermoon. AFP

The supermoon seen from a residential building in Beijing, China. AP

The supermoon over the Zabarwan hills in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, an Indian-administered territory. Reuters

The supermoon shines behind the Rande bridge in Vigo, Spain. EPA

A spectacular blue supermoon illuminated skies in the UAE and around the world on Monday evening.

Stargazers were treated to the first of three expected supermoon appearances this week.

The National's Chris Whiteoak photographed the shimmering Moon rising above the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

The blue – or sturgeon – supermoon is due to be visible until Wednesday, during which time it will appear larger and brighter because of the full moon's closer proximity to Earth.

The Moon, while bigger and brighter, does not typically have a blue hue during the lunar event.

“Speculations on the origin of the term include an old English phrase that means 'betrayer moon' (because it led to mistakes in setting the dates for Lent and Easter),” said Nasa.

However, the US space agency said there are rare circumstances when the Moon may indeed appear blue. “It may be a comparison to rare events such as when dust in the atmosphere makes the Moon actually appear blue.”

This full moon is also called the sturgeon supermoon, named after the sturgeon fish that was traditionally abundant in the Great Lakes, in the east-central US, during this time of year.

The Maine Farmers' Almanac began publishing Native American names for full moons in the 1930s, and these have become widely known and used. Others include red moon, corn or green corn moon, barley moon, herb moon, grain moon and dog moon.