There is exciting news for all celestial event lovers! The next super blue moon will appear on August 19. Four supermoons are expected this year and the first one will appear on Monday (August 19) at 00:00 IST (14:26 EDT).
What is a supermoon?
The supermoon on August 19 is the first of four supermoons that will be visible this year. The next supermoons are on September 17, followed by October 17 and November 15. The supermoon on October 17 is the closest to us and is also called the Hunter’s Moon.
According to NASA astrologer Richard Nolle, the term “supermoon” was coined in 1979 because a new or full moon occurs when the moon is 90 percent closest to Earth. Full supermoons are the brightest and largest full moons of the year. They are 30 percent brighter and 14 percent larger than the ordinary moon. However, the difference is undetectable to the naked human eye unless you are a regular moon watcher.
Sometimes a supermoon or even a regular full moon can appear large, and this has nothing to do with astronomy, but with the way the human brain works. This is known as the moon illusion. It is a perceptual trick where the moon appears much larger when it is rising or setting.
Will the blue moon in August be blue?
The blue moon that occurs in August will unfortunately not be blue. There are two types of blue moons, but both have nothing to do with the color blue. A traditional blue moon refers to the third full moon in a season with four full moons. We will observe the traditional blue moon on August 17th.
According to Time and Date, the second type of blue moon arose from a misunderstanding of the original definition. The second type refers to the second full moon in a calendar month. This monthly definition of the blue moon is accepted as an alternative rather than an error. The second full moon of a month with two full moons became known as a blue moon in the 1940s.
When can you see the blue moon on August 19th?
The blue moon will be visible worldwide on August 19. However, the suitable time to see the blue moon varies depending on the location and time zone. In India, the super blue moon will be visible on the night of August 19 and into the early hours of August 20.
According to NASA, the super blue moon will appear for about three days from August 18 to 20 in different locations depending on time zones. In North America, it will peak at 2:26 p.m. EDT on August 19. In Australia, the blue moon will appear on August 20.
(With contributions from agencies)
