THIS year, stargazers and photographers were treated to an extra special Harvest Moon.

Falling on Friday, September 13, the cloudless skies and the extra bright moon meant that Hampshire was bathed in moonlight, and resulted in some stunning pictures.

It gets its name from the time of year - the Harvest Moon is the full moon that falls closest to the Autumn equinox.

This is when the Earth’s equator is directly in line with the sun, and in the UK, day and night are almost exactly the same length.

However, it does mean that from now until March, there will be more hours of darkness than daylight.

The Harvest Moon allowed farmers to work longer, using the moonlight to allow them to collect their crops in time for Harvest.

It all makes for a beautiful sight in the sky, and ranges from a clear white to having an orange tinge.

When orange, the moon is close to the horizon, and the Earth’s atmosphere causes the colour to change slightly.

Being so bright, it’s the perfect opportunity to get pictures of the moon’s geological features, such as the Sea of Tranquility.

This is where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down 50 years ago on the Apollo 11 mission, becoming the first men to walk on the moon.

We asked members of the Basingstoke Gazette camera club to send us their photos of the Harvest Moon, and they didn’t disappoint.

However, if you missed out this time, there’s a chance to get a similarly beautiful sight when the Hunters’ Moon lights up the skies on October 13, peaking in the UK at around 10pm.

Anyone can join our camera club, where users are set a monthly theme, with the best appearing in the paper.

Simply search ‘Basingstoke Gazette Camera Club’ on Facebook.

Here are a selection of some of the best photos of the Harvest Moon from Camera Club members.