NASA scientists advise keeping an eye on the night sky in the coming days, as August will offer a magical spectacle with our next full moon, which will be both a supermoon and a blue moon.
Also known as the Sturgeon Moon or Dog Moon, the moon will come within 90 percent of its closest approach to Earth, according to NASA, when a new or full moon will become what is known as a “supermoon” (a term first coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979, according to NASA).
It is also counted as a blue moon because it is the second full moon in the same month.
Depending on weather conditions and your location on Earth, astronomers and skywatchers have predicted that the full moon will be visible on Monday afternoon, August 19, beginning during daylight hours in the Eastern Standard Time Zone at 2:26 p.m.
Although this is not a rare occurrence, it is an exciting moment for many and has a very special meaning for some.
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Last year, Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi’s free livestream garnered thousands of views when he shared a view of the supermoon, which coincided with the Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan, or Rakhi Purnima, which celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters.
The astronomer’s website will stream the celestial event again on Monday, the third of four full moons this season to be streamed on the site.
The moon does not look blue, but has been called a blue moon since 1528. It is unclear why it was first called a blue moon.
NASA says the planet Saturn will approach the full moon on Tuesday night – August 20-21. At one point it will be two degrees above the eastern horizon, while Saturn will be one degree to the upper left. Then on Wednesday morning, August 21, at 1:02 a.m. ET, the moon will reach its closest point in its orbit to Earth, called perigee.
