Blue Moon 2018 in pictures: Staggering photos of last nights Blue Moon

The second blue moon of the year rose in the skies this weekend in a stunning celestial event, that occured because February did not have a full moon.

The moon was expected to appear at its fullest at around 1.37am GMT on Saturday, March 31.

And now stunning photos takena round the globe have appeared, showing the full moon in all its gory.

Here are just some of the best pictures of last night's incredible celestial event.

What is a blue moon?

Blue Moons are defined as the second full moon to rise within one calendar month, in a phenomenon which only occurs roughly every 2.7 years.

Because a blue moon is quite rare, the lunar event helped to coin the saying “once in a blue moon”.

Full moons themselves are not rare, as they occur almost every 29 days, but a blue moon is a rare event.

And two blue moons in one year is an even more incredible event, with the last time Earth seeing two blue moons in one year being in 1999.

This event was dubbed “The Double Blue Moon of 1999” - and, like this year, also occured because there was no full moon in February.

A Blue Moon will now not be seen for some years, as the Easter 2018 Blue Moon will be the last to grace the night skies until Halloween in 2020.