TOLEDO, Ohio — Earlier this month, a full supermoon fell on Aug. 1. Even if you missed it, the month will wrap up with a second full supermoon Wednesday night: a blue supermoon.
While a "blue moon" isn't literally blue, the odds of it happening are pretty slim: only six of the 121 full moons since 2013 have been blue, a name given when two full moons occur during the same month. The odds of a supermoon are somewhat better, appearing a handful of times per year. August 2023 is a unique month in that it will provide sky-watchers with two supermoons, meaning they will be both "blue" and super.
Here's the why, when and where to look for this rare celestial phenomenon.
A supermoon occurs when the full moon phase lands during the moon's perigee, or when it is at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit. According to NASA, the moon's furthest distance from Earth is 253,000 miles, while its closest is about 226,000 miles. This makes the moon appear slightly larger and brighter than usual. This happens about three or four times each year.
A blue moon is defined as two full moons occurring in the same month. Nothing special astronomically has to occur for this to happen, as it is dependent entirely on how we measure time - specifically months on the Gregorian calendar. Because Earth's moon orbits in a 27-day cycle, the full moon phase sometimes happens to land twice in one month. It cannot happen during the month of February.
Its rarity lends itself to a common saying: "Once in a blue moon".
Just like the first full moon in August, the second full moon will also be a supermoon when it appears in the sky on Aug. 30, again while the moon is at perigee. It will appear somewhat higher in the sky after sunset, still to the southeast. You can also catch Saturn to its right, and Jupiter close to the horizon in the northeast.
The moon will rise at 8:24 p.m. Wednesday and set at 6:04 a.m. Thursday, meaning you can also catch sight of it if you wake up early enough.
Unlike fainter objects like stars, the moon will be easy to see regardless of your location, so long as you have clear skies and a mostly-open horizon.
If you see the supermoon, be sure to snap a photo of it and send it to the WTOL 11 Weather Team and Newsroom. On the WTOL 11 app, tap "Near Me" in the lower right-hand corner. Then press the orange "Share with Us" button in the upper left-hand corner of the map.
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