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This week, our night sky promises more than just a 'blue moon' spectacle.
Starting August with a brilliant supermoon, the month ends with another supermoon casting its brilliance. Moreover, Saturn, the ringed planet, is gearing up to showcase its closest and brightest stance next to our moon this year.
Mark your calendars as the full moon will reach its zenith at 9:36 p.m. ET on August 30, with its luminosity stretching into early Friday. By Wednesday evening, around 8:42 p.m. ET, the splendor of Saturn will be discernible about 5 degrees to the moon's upper right. Throughout the night, Saturn seems to dance around the moon in a mesmerizing clockwise loop. When closest, they'll be separated by roughly the width of four full moons.
On August 27, Saturn stood opposite the sun, a phenomenon called opposition. Resultantly, the planet is now luminously visible at night, being at its nearest to Earth.
Both of August's full moons are considered 'supermoons' by EarthSky. What's a supermoon? It's a full moon that's notably closer to Earth, enhancing its size and brightness in our sky. Specifically, this moon will be approximately 18,000 miles closer, making its distance from Earth 222,043 miles.
Some experts state that a moon can be termed as super if it's within 90% of its nearest approach to Earth.
This week's supermoon might also influence Hurricane Idalia, anticipated to hit land on Wednesday. Due to the moon's proximity, its gravitational effects might be more pronounced, potentially escalating tides and storm surges. Jamie Rhome, of the National Hurricane Center, estimates it might even augment high tide by about a foot.
Interestingly, NASA notes that the second full moon in a month is sometimes termed a "blue moon." But, don’t expect a hue change! Given that full moons recur every 29 days and most months have 30 or 31 days, we occasionally get a 'blue moon', like the one in August 2021.
This second August full moon aligns with Raksha Bandhan, a Hindu festival celebrating sibling bonds.
As for the upcoming moons of 2023, the Farmers' Almanac predicts:
- Harvest moon on September 29.
- Hunter's moon on October 28.
- Beaver moon on November 27.
- Cold moon on December 26.
Moon and sun eclipses are also on the horizon. An annular solar eclipse will be viewable across the Americas. As this occurs, the moon will appear tinier than the sun, encircled by a radiant ring. Remember, always wear eclipse glasses for safe viewing! Also, on October 28, a partial moon eclipse is due, with parts of the moon shadowed, viewable across multiple continents.
Lastly, for meteor shower enthusiasts, ideal viewing times are late nights to dawn in low light polluted areas. Upcoming meteor shower peaks include:
- Orionids on October 20-21.
- Southern Taurids from November 4-6.
- Northern Taurids on November 11-12.
- Leonids on November 17-18.
- Geminids on December 13-14.
- Ursids on December 21-22.
Brace yourselves for a celestial treat!