Following the exciting , the public will be treated to another captivating celestial event.
On Monday evening, there will be a compelling reason to look up at the sky as August’s rare super blue moon takes center stage, captivating photographers, astronomers, and casual stargazers.
Here’s a breakdown of this celestial event:
What is a super blue moon?
A super blue moon is simultaneously a full moon, blue moon, and a super moon.
The first of these three is quite familiar: a phase in the lunar cycle where the Earth, sun, and moon are aligned with the Earth in the middle, resulting in the moon being fully illuminated as seen from Earth.
A blue moon doesn’t refer to the moon’s color but rather the frequency of full moons. There are two definitions of a blue moon—the first refers to when two full moons occur within the same calendar month. Considering the moon’s cycle of 29.5 days and our average month of 30-31 days, having two full moons in a single month is quite rare, happening every two to three years. Approximately 3% of full moons are blue moons.
There are also seasonal blue moons, where a calendar season holds four full moons instead of the usual three, and the third full moon out of those four is termed the blue moon. August’s full moon falls under this category. The next seasonal blue moon is anticipated in May 2027.
The super moon aspect pertains to the moon’s orbit, which brings it closer to Earth this month, making it appear larger and brighter. This occurs due to the moon’s elliptical orbit around Earth, leading to variations in its distance from our planet. it can appear roughly 14% larger and shine 30% brighter than when it’s at its farthest point in its orbit. This will be the first of four consecutive super moons this year, and it is less rare than the blue moon, occurring three or four times annually.
August’s full moon is often known as the , a name given by the Algonquin Native American tribe inhabiting the Great Lakes region and what is now the northeastern United States. They named the full moon after sturgeons—a large fish species—which were abundant in the lakes during August.
How and when can you see August’s super blue moon?
The full moon’s peak will occur on Monday afternoon, , at 2:26 p.m. EDT and 11:26 a.m. PT. It will be visible for three days, from Sunday morning until early Wednesday morning.
While the moon will be visible to the naked eye, telescope and binocular viewers will be able to discern even more detail on the lunar surface than usual.
How rare is a super blue moon?
According to NASA, the combination of the super moon and the blue moon is infrequent, and the interval between their occurrences is quite “irregular,” potentially stretching up to 20 years, with an average gap of 10 years.
Although we experienced a super blue moon recently, in August 2023, NASA predicts the next super blue moons will occur in January and March 2037. This makes 2024’s super blue moon an event not to be missed.