On 30 August 2023, poeple will witness a Super Blue Moon -- the biggest and brightest Moon of the year. According to moon.nasa.gov, the August Super Blue Moon 2023 is a rare phenomena, and people will not be able to witness it again anytime before 2037. The next super blue moons will occur in a pair, in January and March 2037.
Like everyone, you must also have some questions in your mind like, "What is a Super Moon? Is Super Moon really blue in colour?" Let us read all the details below.
What Is a Supermoon?
All of us know that the moon revolves around the earth in an elliptical orbit. Each month, while revolving around the earth, the moon passes through a point which is closest to our planet, and that point is called 'Perigee'. The moon also passes through a point which is farthest to the Earth, and that point is known as 'Apogee'.
The rare event during which a full moon is at or close to the Perigee (closest point to Earth) is called as Supermoon.
What Is a Blue Moon?
When a full moon shows up twice in a month, it is referred to as 'Blue Moon'. In every two to three years, if a full moon appears in the beginning of the month (1st or 2nd), the second full moon shows up in the end of the month (30th or 31st). In short, when a full moon appears two times in a single month, it is called as Blue Moon. There are two types of Blue Moons - monthly and seasonal. The Blue Moon on 31 August 2023 is a monthly Blue Moon.
What Is a Super Blue Moon? Will It Be Blue in Color?
When a full moon appears twice in a month, and is nearby to the closest point to Earth (Perigee), this rare phenomena is called as Super Blue Moon.
No, Super Blue Moon will not be actually blue in color. However, in certain cases some tiny particles of dust and smoke scatter away the red wavelengths of light, due to which the moon appears blue in color.
Why Is the Super Blue Moon Bigger and Brighter?
According to moon.nasa.gov, "You probably won’t notice a big difference in size. When the Moon is closest to Earth (a “supermoon”), it looks about 14 percent bigger than when it’s farthest from Earth. This is similar to the size difference between a quarter and a nickel. Because the Moon will be close to us in its orbit, it will appear a bit brighter than usual."
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)