We're excited to bring you the scoop on an extraordinary astronomical event that's sure to distract you from all the syllabi you've been reading through today: A Blue Super Moon!
What's a Blue Super Moon, you ask? Well, it's a delightful combination of a Blue Moon and a Super Moon.
Blue Moon: A Blue Moon occurs when we have two full moons in a single calendar month, which is a rare occurrence. On average, we get one blue moon every 33 months. Sure, you can say that this is just a quirk of how some parts of the world made their calendar, but it's still FUN! And anything to get people interested in looking upward is A-OK in our book (that's a UMBC Library pun).
Super Moon: This Wednesday's moon is extra special because it's not only the second full moon of August but also a Super Moon! A Super Moon is when the full moon phase occurs when the moon is at (or near enough to) its closest point to Earth in its orbit (called perigee), making it appear larger and brighter in the night sky. You can read/listen/watch about elliptical orbits here: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/310/orbits-and-keplers-laws/
Blue Moon: A Blue Moon occurs when we have two full moons in a single calendar month, which is a rare occurrence. On average, we get one blue moon every 33 months. Sure, you can say that this is just a quirk of how some parts of the world made their calendar, but it's still FUN! And anything to get people interested in looking upward is A-OK in our book (that's a UMBC Library pun).
Super Moon: This Wednesday's moon is extra special because it's not only the second full moon of August but also a Super Moon! A Super Moon is when the full moon phase occurs when the moon is at (or near enough to) its closest point to Earth in its orbit (called perigee), making it appear larger and brighter in the night sky. You can read/listen/watch about elliptical orbits here: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/310/orbits-and-keplers-laws/
When is the Blue Super Moon? This Wednesday evening is when the magic happens. As the Sun dips below the horizon, be sure to cast your gaze to the opposite horizon to catch the moonrise as it will be visible almost immediately after sunset.
Digging into the details: The Moon will achieve totality at 21:36 ET. The Moon will achieve perigee at 11:52 ET. Astronomers famously (infamously?) don't sweat the details, so even though lunar perigee occurs during the daytime, we still call it a Super Moon when it rises this evening.
Since it will be so close to perigee, this Blue Super Moon is going to be about 14% larger than the regular full moon you might be used to seeing. AND since it's a full moon near perigee, it will also be about 30% brighter than usual!
If you're an avid skywatcher or a casual observer, this is the perfect opportunity to dust off your telescopes or simply step outside and marvel at the wonders above. So, set your reminders, charge your cameras, and prepare for a night of lunar marvels.
Due to forecasted partly cloudy conditions, we will not be opening up the UMBC Observatory for observing the Blue Super Moon tonight. But for more information about the UMBC Observatory and how you might participate in future events, navigate to observatory.umbc.edu/get-involved
For further reading: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2367/the-next-full-moon-is-a-supermoon-and-a-blue-moon/
Written by Onkar Rekhi (Sr. Obs Intern, MechE)
Edited and posted by Roy Prouty (Obs Director)