If you have been fascinated with the phrase, “once in a blue moon,” you should get ready to witness the actual super blue moon, where the popular phrase originated from. Astronomers revealed that the super blue moon of 2023 will surface on August 30, and will not be visible again until 2037. Why is this super blue moon occurring tonight? How can you watch it live for free? Continue reading to find out.
Why The Rare Super Blue Moon Will Rise On August 30
Astronomers recently revealed that one biggest and brightest moons of 2023 will rise on Wednesday (August 30). Scientists referred to this moon as a Super Blue Moon. This term is used to represent either the third full moon in a season with four full moons or the second of the two full moons that occurs within a calendar month. Unlike the full moon that previously occurred on August 1, this upcoming blue moon will appear as a supermoon.
Astronomers refer to the term supermoon as a period when the nearest largest celestial body tidally locked to Earth moves closer to our planet, making it appear larger in Earth’s sky. The moon takes about 29.5 days to complete its cycle. Astronomers have discovered that earthlings experience 12.4 full moons every 365 days which make up a year.
This implies that there are 13 full moons in 12 months for every 2.8 years on average. However, this is not the act average as the last time a blue moon occurred was on August 22, 2021. The next one will likely take place on August 19, 2024. However, ever is a huge difference between full moons and Super Blue Moon.
The Blue Moon is mostly referred to as a supermoon because of its distance from Earth. Since the moon follows an elliptical orbit or oval shape, it tends to move closer to Earth in some cases and also distances itself from our home planet during some periods.
How the Super Blue Moon Will Be Accompanied By Saturn Tonight
Full moons occur when the moon is at its closest point to Earth, an astronomical event referred to as perigee. During some periods, the moon can even appear up to 14% larger in Earth’s night sky. These full moons were once referred to as perigean full moons until astronomers introduced the term supermoon during the last decade. Even though supermoons do not occur every month, they can occur up to two times within a year. NASA revealed that nearly 25% of all full moons occur as supermoons.
Hence, a Super Blue Moon occurs as a combination of a Blue Moon and a supermoon, which is a rare astronomical event. The average time between two Super Blue Moons is about 10 years. NASA revealed that this average duration can even reach up to 20 years. Hence, the next Super Blue Moon will occur in 2037, when the two will occur close to each other, in January and in March, respectively. Astronomers said that Saturn will be joining the Blue Moon tonight.
During the event, the most ringed world in our solar system will appear in its biggest and brightest shape of 2023. Saturn will be above the right side of the moon. However, skywatchers will find it challenging to spot as the brightness of the full moon will illuminate the sky making it nearly impossible to notice.
How To Watch the Super Blue Moon of 2023
Scientists revealed that the Super Blue Moon will rise after sunset on Wednesday and will be visible from New York City. However, if you are watching from a cloudy location or with light pollution, you can join The Virtual Telescope Project livestream hosted by astronomer Gianluca Masi of Rome, Italy.
The free live stream will commence at 11:30 p.m. on August 30 (0330 GMT on August 31). You can watch it on Virtual Telescope Project’s website or their YouTube Channel.
Conclusion
Super Blue Moon will occur tonight, August 30. You can watch it from your location with your telescope or join an online Livestream to enjoy this once-in-a-while astronomical event. Use these telescopes and binoculars to capture the best view of the event. You can share your captures with us at Future Space World.
