On Monday, we’ll have the chance at another unique night sky sighting: a rare blue supermoon.
According to NASA , a moon is considered a supermoon when it is in its new or full phase, and within 90% of its closest approach to Earth. But, since new moons aren’t as easy to see as a full moon, we tend to pay more attention to the full moon version.
It’s hard not to, considering they’re the biggest and brightest of the year. The moon will be at its perigee , or closest point to Earth during orbit, with an average distance of about 226,000 miles. At its farthest distance, or apogee, it will be 253,000 miles from Earth.
In this case, “blue” refers to it being the third full moon in a season of four full moons. It can also be used to describe the second full moon in the same month. This is August’s only full moon this year.
NASA explains it isn’t certain why we call it a blue moon, but says it could be because it “betrayed” those trying to set the dates for Lent and Easter (which are both affected by the moon schedule ). It could also be connected to a time in which atmosphere dust gave the moon a blue hue.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0