#Blue moon sky and telescope full#

So, instead of the usual three full moons, a season would occasionally have a fourth, or extra, full moon. Historically, the term “blue moon” was used to describe an extra full moon that occurs in one of the four seasons.

That moniker, however, came about as the result of a misunderstanding. Most people are familiar with the term “blue moon,” which is commonly used to describe the second full moon in one month. That means it will be the closest, and therefore the biggest and brightest, full supermoon of 2023. On August 30, 2023, the Moon will be 222,043 miles from Earth.

When the Moon is full and it reaches that point in its orbit, it’s called a supermoon. The point in the Moon’s orbit when it is closest to Earth is called the perigee. Since the Moon has an elliptical orbit, there are times when it comes closer to Earth than others. Although the distance between the Moon and Earth varies as the Moon moves along its orbital plane, the average distance between the Earth and Moon is 238,855 miles, according to NASA. The Moon’s orbit around Earth doesn’t follow the shape of a perfect circle, instead, it’s elliptical. What’s more, the next super blue moon won’t occur for another 9 years, in August 2032. Indeed, the last super blue moon occurred in December 2009, according to Time and Date. A super blue moon, however, happens far less often. It’ll also be a blue moon, which makes the occurrence even more special.īlue moons, by the way, aren’t actually all that rare - they happen about every 33 months. That means it will appear up to 17 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than some months’ full moons, according to NASA. Stargazers take note: You won’t want to miss next week’s full moon.įor starters, the full moon on August 30 will be a supermoon.

Blue moon sky and telescope