Two supermoons will be visible in August. Here's what you need to know.
The first supermoon of the season already graced the night sky on July 3, the same night as Milwaukee's lakefront fireworks, but three more supermoons are still to come this year.
The next three supermoons will rise Aug. 1, Aug. 30 and Sept. 29. The Aug. 30 supermoon is also a blue moon, the first in over two years.
What is a supermoon?
According to NASA, a supermoon happens when a full moon occurs at the same time the moon's orbit is closest to the Earth. The moon orbits the Earth in an ovular shape called an ellipse, meaning sometimes the moon is closer, and sometimes the moon is farther away from Earth.
The farthest point on the ellipse, called the apogee, is about 253,000 miles from Earth on average. Meanwhile, the closest point on the ellipse, the perigee, is an average distance of about 226,000 miles from Earth. So, a perigean full moon appears slightly larger and brighter than a typical or apogean full moon. According to NASA, the closest perigean full moon appears about 17% bigger and 30% brighter than the farthest apogean moon.
Supermoons only happen three to four times a year, and always appear consecutively, NASA says. This year's brightest supermoon is the Aug. 30 moon.
What is a blue moon?
"Blue moon" might be better known as an ice cream flavor or a beer here in Wisconsin, but it's also a term for a month's second full moon when two full moons occur in one calendar month. And no, a blue moon isn't actually blue.
Typically, full moons occur once a month, or every 29 days. But, because most months have 30 or 31 days, every two-and-a-half years or so, a blue moon occurs. According to space.com, the most recent blue moon was Aug. 22, 2021.
After this year's Aug. 30 blue moon, we will not see a blue moon again until May 31, 2026.
When is the best time to view the moon?
According to Forbes, the best time to view a supermoon, or any full moon, is at moonrise or at moonset, when the moon is closest to the horizon. It is also helpful to view from a location with minimal light pollution.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Supermoon August 2023: Rare blue moon will be visible in Wisconsin
