Come tonight and skygazers are in for a celestial treat. The August sky tonight will see the presence of the first full moon of the month, which will peak on August 1, at 2.32 pm EDT (12.02 am IST on August 2), according to NASA. August 2023 will be a special month for science enthusiasts as they will be able to witness not one but two Supermoons and one of them being the rare ‘Blue Moon’.
The Moon will appear full for 3 days around this time, from early Monday morning into early Thursday morning. The last time two full supermoons appeared in the same month was in 2018 – and it won’t happen again until 2037, a report in Sky.com quoted Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project as saying. While the first one will be seen tonight (12.02 am IST, August 2), the second one is the rare ‘Blue Moon’ on August 30.
The Sturgeon Moon – Speciality Of The Supermoon
Traditionally it is called the ‘Sturgeon Moon’ because the giant sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain of the US were most readily caught during this part of summer, according to Old Farmer’s Almanac – a reference book containing weather forecasts.
A supermoon exceeds the disk size of an average-sized Moon by up to 8 per cent and the brightness of an average-sized full Moon by some 16 per cent. The moon sizes appear different because it goes around the Earth in a slightly elliptical 27.3-day orbit. Because of this, it is sometimes closer to Earth and sometimes a little further away. During the supermoon, the moon is closest to the Earth, and so it appears bigger and brighter.
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What Is The Blue Moon?
On Wednesday, August 30, the Full Moon will peak at 9.36 p.m. ET (7.06 a.m. IST on August 31), as per the Old Farmer’s Almanac. NASA reports that Blue Moons are of two kinds – monthly and seasonal. The monthly Blue Moon is the second Full Moon in a calendar month with two Full Moons. The seasonal Blue Moon is the third Full Moon of an astronomical season that has four Full Moons.
Contrary to its name, a Blue Moon has nothing to do with the Moon having a blue hue. However, very rarely there are actual blue-tinted Moons due to particles thrown into the atmosphere by natural catastrophes, the US space agency said.
Generally, Blue Moons occur every 2 to 3 years. The last Blue Moon was on August 22, 2021. “Warm summer nights are the ideal time to watch the full moon rise in the eastern sky within minutes of sunset, and it happens twice in August,” retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak, was quoted as saying to Sky.com. Because it’s rare, hence the phrase “once in a blue moon”.
How To The Watch Supermoon
No special equipment is needed to witness the phenomenon. Skygazers can pray for a clear sky and a pair of binoculars will add to the experience. After 2018, this is the first time two full supermoons are appearing in the same month, this it won’t happen again until 2037, according to Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi.
(With inputs from Agencies)
