Bay Area residents will see a rare super blue moon at its peak this Monday at around 11:26 a.m. The event will usher in the first of four supermoons this year. The term supermoon typically refers to a full moon that appears closer than usual to Earth’s orbit, according to NASA, causing the moon to appear larger and brighter.
Although the super blue moon will peak late Monday morning, at a time when it is not particularly visible, Bay Area residents will still have a chance to see the moon when it is full later in the evening. The super blue moon is scheduled to last from Sunday through early Wednesday morning, giving people plenty of opportunity to catch a glimpse of it.
August’s supermoon, the Sturgeon Moon, is expected to be 223,000 miles (360,947 kilometers) from Earth. For comparison, the Moon is on average about 237,000 miles (382,947 kilometers) from Earth, meaning this supermoon will be about 14,000 miles (22,500 kilometers) closer than usual.
This month’s supermoon is also a blue moon, but the term “blue moon” does not mean that stargazers can enjoy a blue-hued lunar event. There are two types of blue moons: seasonal and monthly. A seasonal blue moon means that it is the third full moon in a season with four full moons, which is the equivalent of the Sturgeon Moon. The other type refers to the second full moon in a month with two full moons.
Although there was a super blue moon last year, the event is actually unusual, according to NASA. Typically, seasonal blue moons occur every two to three years. It can take up to 20 years for a super blue moon to occur again, but 10 years is usually the average. The next super blue moon is expected in January and March 2037.
Supermoons always appear three or four times in a row and can appear 30% brighter and 14% larger than average. The next supermoons will appear on September 17, October 17, and November 15. The full moons in September and October will come even closer to Earth’s orbit, with the September moon appearing 222,131 miles away and the October moon appearing 222,055 miles away. The November supermoon is expected to appear 224,853 miles away.
The August supermoon is named after the fish that are more abundant in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain at this time of year and which, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, were an important food source for Native Americans in the region.
NASA also noted that there are other names for the August supermoon, including Corn Moon or Green Corn Moon, Dog Moon, Red Moon, Barley Moon, Herb Moon, and Grain Moon.
The other three supermoons of the year also have names: September is the Harvest Moon, October is the Hunter’s Moon, and November is the Beaver Moon.
