All eyes to the skies tonight in anticipation of the blue supermoon, that is due to make an appearance on the 19th August 2024. But what actually is it?
A supermoon is when a full moon comes closest to the Earth in its orbit, making it look even larger and more luminous than ‘normal’ – about 7% larger and 15% brighter than the average full moon.
A full moon occurs when the moon is exactly opposite the sun in its rotation around the Earth, appearing fully illuminated from our POV here on Earth. For many, this is a a powerful astrological event, as many believe the moon’s powers to be amplified and higher than usual.
What is a blue moon?
The phrase ‘blue moon’ has two meanings: in this case, a seasonal blue moon refers to the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. If you think each season is about three months long, you would usually have three moons per season, but if you end up with four in one season, the third full moon is called blue.
A full lunar cycle lasts 29.5 days, meaning that most months have one full moon, but there is the possibility for a month to have two full moons.
he second meaning for a is blue moon is when there are two full moons within a single calendar month or four full moons within a season. This is why it’s called a blue moon, -and why the saying ‘once in a blue moon’ means that something happens rarely.
Why is it actually red, not blue?
Due to many wildfires happening across the globe right now, from the US to Greece, the dust from these may give the moon a red glow, rather than the ‘blue’ hue that you might expect due to the name.
When can you expect to see the blue supermoon?
The blue supermoon is due on the 19th August 2024. The sun is due to set in the UK at 20:14 tonight, so expect to see the moon in the sky from then onwards. The key is to avoid anywhere with light pollution, like main roads or cities, and hope that the sky is clear of clouds!
When are the other supermoons this year?
There are four supermoons in 2024:
- 19th August
- 18th September
- 17th October
- 15th November