The blue supermoon is upon us.
On Monday, Aug. 19, the rare cosmic event will take over the skies when a supermoon and seasonal blue moon occur at the same time.
A supermoon happens when the full moon’s orbit is closer to Earth, while a blue moon is when it’s the third of four full moons in a single season.
The rare super blue moon occurs about every 10 years, according to NASA. However, it can be as as much as 20 years. When it is a supermoon, it can look up to 14% bigger when it’s farthest away from the Earth. While this won’t be among the biggest supermoons, per the agency, it will still be impressive.
Also known as the Sturgeon Moon, this is the first of four supermoons in 2024, with more expected in September, October and November.
How to see the Aug. 19 blue supermoon?
The supermoon will reach its peak lunation at 2:26 p.m. ET on Aug. 19, 2024. It will appear full for three days straight, according to NASA, from Sunday morning to the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 21.
Will the blue supermoon look blue?
No, the super blue moon will not exactly be the color blue. A blue moon is a term “for two full moons in a month, or the third full moon in a season with four,” per NASA.
On rare occasions, they note that “tiny particles in the air ― typically of smoke or dust ― can scatter away red wavelengths of light, causing the moon to appear blue.”
When will the next blue supermoon occur?
According to Space.com, the next seasonal blue supermoon will occur on Jan. 31, 2037, at 10:03 a.m. EST.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
