Blue Moon will be joined by a “special guest” in August 2023
In the very near future we will witness an interesting astronomical phenomenon. The second full moon in August is called the “blue moon”. The moon is close to perigee on this day, which means that it will be possible to observe the “blue” Supermoon – the largest full moon of 2023.
The Moscow Planetarium explained:
The second full moon of the month is called the Blue Moon in English. But this has nothing to do with the color of our satellite! The unusual name is associated with the expression Once in a Blue Moon (literally – “once under the blue moon”) – this is how they say about an extremely rare event. Two full moons in a month happen not so often and not every year!
The “blue moon” rises: the largest and brightest supermoon of 2023
A supermoon – the closest coincidence of the phase of the full moon with the perigee of the moon’s orbit – will occur on August 31, 2023. At a close distance from the Earth, at the perigee of its orbit, the Moon will be on August 30, at 18:52 Moscow time, and will take the full moon phase at 04:37 Moscow time on August 31. The difference between these events will be 9 hours 45 minutes.
The “blue moon” in August 2023 will also be joined by a “special guest” in the sky – Saturn. On August 27, Saturn will be in opposition to the Sun and will be perfectly observed all night.
The Blue Moon happens every two or three years. The last “blue moon” rose in August 2021, and the next one is expected in August 2024.
