Are you ready for a celestial treat? The Super Blue Moon will light up the sky on August 30. This event is one of the brightest spectacles of the year.
You might ask, “What’s a Blue Moon?” It could mean two things. It may be the third full moon in a four-full-moon season. But it often refers to the second full moon in the same month.
But this Blue Moon is exceptional. Like the full moon we saw on August 1, August 30’s Blue Moon is also a supermoon. A supermoon is a full moon that pops up when the moon orbits closer to Earth. This event makes the moon seem slightly bigger in our sky.
The Super Blue Moon will start gracing the night right after sunset. People in New York City can see it rising from the east. But if you can’t see it from where you are, don’t fret. Gianluca Masi’s Virtual Telescope Project will livestream this celestial sight. You can watch it for free on Space.com or the project’s YouTube channel. The showing will start at 11:30 p.m. on August 30.
Now, let’s talk more about the moon’s cycle. It takes 29.5 days to complete. We get roughly 12.4 full moons every year. So, every 2.8 years, on average, we witness 13 full moons in a year. Interesting.
When the moon is nearer to the Earth, we call it a supermoon. They used to refer to this as a “perigean full moon.” Now, we more commonly call it a supermoon. We see supermoons two to five times a year. According to NASA, they account for nearly 25% of all full moons.
Lastly, Super Blue Moons don’t occur often. Even though two Super Blue Moons might occur in one month, they mostly happen every 10 or 20 years. We won’t see the next Super Blue Moon until 2037.
But that’s not all. This Super Blue Moon comes with an extra treat. You might also see Saturn coming off its 2023 appearance. The ringed planet will position just above and right of the moon. You might not spot it quickly because of the full moon’s glare. So, ready your eyes, and don’t miss this out!
