In 2023, we expect three more Supermoons in addition to July
On Monday and Wednesday next week, the inhabitants of the Earth will witness interesting astronomical phenomena. The Full Moon on July 3 will mark a series of four Supermoons in a row in 2023.
The maximum full moon will take place at 14:41 Moscow time and will be visible in Russia only conditionally. Interestingly, the Native Americans referred to the July full moon in various ways, including Buck Moon and Thunder Moon.
Super Blood Moon and Thunder Moon coming soon: the first in 2023.
On July 5, we will be able to observe the peak of the so-called “bloody” Supermoon – at 01:29 Moscow time, the Moon will be at the perigee of its orbit at the closest possible distance of 360149 km from the Earth. At the moment of such approach, the Moon seems to be simply huge from the earth, the apparent diameter will be 33′11″. At the same time, it gets a reddish color, for which the supermoon is popularly called “bloody”, as well as “berry” and “thunder”.
In 2023, we expect three more Supermoons in addition to July – August 1 and August 31, as well as September 28. Recall that the Supermoon is the moment when the full moon approaches the Earth at a distance closer than 362 thousand km and the moments of the passage of perigee and the full moon are no more than three days apart.
A Super Blood Moon is a total lunar eclipse that occurs when the Moon is at its closest point to Earth (perigee). This makes the Moon appear larger and brighter than usual. The red color of the Moon during a Blood Moon is caused by sunlight that is refracted through Earth’s atmosphere. The blue light is scattered away, leaving only the red light to reach the Moon.
The Thunder Moon is a name for the full moon in July. It is called this because of the frequency of thunderstorms that occur in early summer.
The next Super Blood Moon and Thunder Moon will occur on August 12, 2023. The Moon will reach perigee at 10:09 PM EDT on August 11, and will be fully eclipsed from 11:30 PM EDT on August 11 to 2:54 AM EDT on August 12. The Moon will appear reddish during the eclipse.
If you are lucky enough to have clear skies on August 12, 2023, be sure to take a look up at the night sky and enjoy this rare celestial event!
