By Brian Lada, Accuweather.com
The last blue moon rises behind One World Trade Center and the Manhattan skyline shorty after sunset on October 31, 2020.
Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
The last full moon of summer will be the best of the entire season as stargazers witness a rare celestial sight -- one that hasn't been seen in nearly three years.
A blue moon will appear Wednesday night with moonlight so bright that it may cast shadows.
Despite its nickname, the moon will not emit a blue glow. Instead, the nickname means that it is the second full moon in a calendar month. Most recently, a blue moon occurred on Oct. 31, 2020, and another one will not rise until May 31, 2026.
Wednesday night's full moon will also be a supermoon -- the biggest and brightest of the entire year, according to EarthSky.
Every full moon this summer is a supermoon, appearing slightly bigger and brighter than a normal full moon. However, this week's will be even bigger and brighter than the rest -- although the difference will be nearly imperceptible to the human eye.
The nicknames will create the viral sensation of "blue supermoon."
After this week, the next full moon will not rise until Sept. 29, six days after the autumnal equinox ushers in the start of astronomical fall.
Onlookers may also spot Saturn hanging next to the supermoon throughout the night. The duo will rise in the eastern sky after sunset and will slowly traverse the southern sky throughout the night before setting in the west around daybreak.
The moon's gravitational pull is responsible for the tides on Earth, and during a supermoon when it is closer to the planet, it can have a slightly stronger influence.
As Hurricane Idalia hits Florida, the unusually high tides could exacerbate the storm surge, resulting in more flooding and higher water levels along the coast.
The last full moon of summer will be the best of the entire season as stargazers witness a rare celestial sight -- one that hasn't been seen in nearly three years.
A blue moon will appear Wednesday night with moonlight so bright that it may cast shadows.
Despite its nickname, the moon will not emit a blue glow. Instead, the nickname means that it is the second full moon in a calendar month. Most recently, a blue moon occurred on Oct. 31, 2020, and another one will not rise until May 31, 2026.
Wednesday night's full moon will also be a supermoon -- the biggest and brightest of the entire year, according to EarthSky.
Every full moon this summer is a supermoon, appearing slightly bigger and brighter than a normal full moon. However, this week's will be even bigger and brighter than the rest -- although the difference will be nearly imperceptible to the human eye.
The nicknames will create the viral sensation of "blue supermoon."
After this week, the next full moon will not rise until Sept. 29, six days after the autumnal equinox ushers in the start of astronomical fall.
Onlookers may also spot Saturn hanging next to the supermoon throughout the night. The duo will rise in the eastern sky after sunset and will slowly traverse the southern sky throughout the night before setting in the west around daybreak.
The moon's gravitational pull is responsible for the tides on Earth, and during a supermoon when it is closer to the planet, it can have a slightly stronger influence.
As Hurricane Idalia hits Florida, the unusually high tides could exacerbate the storm surge, resulting in more flooding and higher water levels along the coast.
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