Rare ‘super blue moon’ visible tonight in event that won’t be seen for at least another decade
The standard 'Blue Moon' might have provided inspiration for a song, but this month space is taking things to the next level with a rare 'super blue moon'.
Sounds pretty cool, right? Well it is, but I should warn you now that the moon isn't actually going to be blue.
Instead, this moon gets its name due to the rare alignments of three events: a full moon, blue moon, and a super moon.
The full moon
We're all familiar with the regular full moon - they happen once a month, when Earth falls in the middle of the sun and the moon and we're able to see that round wheel of cheese shining brightly in all of its glory.
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So while full moons can be pretty, they're not quite as exciting as the other two events.
The blue moon
If you've ever heard the phrase 'once in a blue moon', you'll know that this second event is pretty rare.
Again, it's not a night when the moon turns blue, but instead occurs when one of two things happen.
The first is that two full moons occur in one month due to the moon's 29.5 day cycle being slightly less than our average month. This type of blue moon falls roughly every two to three years.
The second, and the one relevant to this month's event is a seasonal blue moon, when a calendar season contains four full moons instead of three.
The super moon
Finally, we have the added element of the super moon - a term which refers to part of the moon's orbit when it comes slightly closer to the Earth, making it look more dazzling than usual.
The super moon occurs about three or four times a year, and can make the moon appear about 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than when it's at its greatest distance from Earth.
How to see the super blue moon
If you've been particularly perceptive over the last few hours you actually might have spotted the super blue moon already, as it first made its appearance on Sunday morning (August 18)
Sure, it might have been nice if the rare sight had made its full appearance at the weekend so stargazers could really make the most out of observations, but instead it will peak this afternoon (August 19), at 2:26pm EDT.
The good news is, the super blue moon is visible for a total of three days until Wednesday morning, giving astronomy enthusiasts chance to make the most of its appearance.
You don't need any special equipment to see the moon thanks to its larger and brighter appearance - though visibility will be better with clear skies.
It's definitely not one to miss, as it can be as long as 20 years between meetings of a super moon and a blue moon.
The wait is slightly less this time, but NASA has still predicted that the next super blue moon won't occur until January 2037.
Who knows what you'll be doing by then, so be sure not to miss out!
Emily Brown