This week, on August 30 and 31 if you look up into the sky you will see what is being called a super blue moon. The moon on these two nights will be a full moon as well as both a supermoon and a blue moon hence earning the title super blue moon.
What is a Super Blue Moon?
A super blue moon is a term used when a supermoon and a blue moon happen simultaneously. The moon travels around the earth every 29.5 days in an oval-shaped path known as its elliptical orbit. Because the path of the moon is not a perfect circle, the moon will be farther away from the Earth at certain points in its orbit and closer at others. When the moon is at its farthest point it is called an apogee and when it is at the point in its orbit when it is closest to the earth it is called perigee. A supermoon occurs when the moon is at perigee at the same as it is a full moon. This happens about three or four times a year making it a semi-rare occurrence.
A blue moon is a rare occurrence happening only once every two or three years. According to NASA, there are two types of blue moons that can happen. The first type is a seasonal blue moon. A normal calendar year has 12 full moons or three per season. A seasonal blue moon is when a fourth full moon occurs in a single season. The second type of blue moon, and the one we will see this week, is a monthly blue moon. There is typically one full moon each month. However, because the moon’s orbit is just shorter than a month (29.5 days), in some rare cases a full moon can occur twice in one month usually around the first or second and again on the thirtieth or thirty-first. This bonus moon is referred to as a blue moon.
What Does a Super Blue Moon Look Like?
Sadly, if you look up into the sky on these two nights the moon will not actually appear blue in color. Blue moons are the same size as normal full moons. Supermoons however are 14% larger than a typical full moon do to it being closer to the earth. What that means is that the full moon this week will appear bigger and brighter than a normal full moon.
When will this Happen Again?
The chances that a supermoon and a blue moon happen simultaneously are quite rare. Only about 3% of all full moons are blue moons. The time between super blue moons can be up to twenty years but typically happens about once in a decade. NASA predicts that the next super blue moon will occur in 2037. What is extra special about this year, however is that we will see two super blue moons this year one happening in January and another in March.
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