Super Blue Moon 2023: Skywatchers across the globe are gearing up for a rare celestial event called the 'Blue Moon'. The Lunar phenomenon is set to take place on the night of August 30 and early morning of August 31, 2023, coinciding with the Hindu festival, Raksha Bandhan. The event happens when a full moon coincides with a blue moon. The Super Blue Moon is the convergence of three lunar occurrences - a full Moon, a Supermoon, and a blue Moon. Also, it is even more special with the Moon approaching the planet Saturn.
Super Blue Moon 2023: When and How to watch
The Super Blue Moon will be at its peak on August 30, around 8:37 pm EDT. In Europe, one can have the opportunity to see the Moon rise slightly later. The Blue Moon will be at it brightest at around 9:30 pm (Indian time) while Blue Super Moon reach it zenith around 7:30 am on August 31. To get the perfect sight of the full moon, one should watch the moon shortly after sunset during the dusk hours. In New York, the Moonrise is at 7:45 pm EDT. In London, at 8:08 pm BST. In Los Angeles, the Moon will rise at 7:36 pm PDT. On August 31, the Moon will rise at 8:24 pm BST in London.
If you wish to watch this rare celestial event, then trying it during the dusk hours. You can witness it live on The Virtual Telescope Project at 3:30 GMT on August 31( 9:00 am IST on August 31).
What is a supermoon?
According to NASA, the Moon travels around Earth in an elliptical orbit, or an elongated circle, with Earth closer to one side of the ellipse. Each month, the Moon passes through the point closest to Earth (perigee) and the point farthest from Earth (apogee). When the Moon is at or near its closest point to Earth at the same time as it is full, it is called a 'supermoon.' During this event, because the full moon is a little bit closer to us than usual, it appears especially large and bright in the sky.
Now, understanding the concept of blue moon. The Moon's cycle is 29.5 days, so just a bit shorter than the average length of a calendar month. Eventually that gap results in a full moon happening at the beginning of a month with enough days still remaining for another full cycle ― so a second full moon in the same month. This year it is occurring on August 30 and 31. This happens every two to three years.
ALSO READ: August's Rare Super Blue Moon 2023: Know when and how to watch the brightest full moon
