A “supermoon” occurs when the Moon’s orbit is closest to Earth at the same time the Moon is full. This allows the Moon to appear slightly brighter and larger than a regular full Moon. We will see two in the month of August this year!
A perigee full moon or supermoon is seen, Sunday, August 10, 2014, in Washington. A supermoon occurs when the moon’s orbit is closest (perigee) to Earth at the same time it is full. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The first of the supermoons in August will peak at 2:31 PM ET on Tuesday, August 1st. This full Moon is also called the “sturgeon supermoon”.
The second full Moon to occur this month will be a ‘blue supermoon’ on August 30th.
A “Blue Moon” is the name for the second full Moon in a calendar month. Despite the name, the Moon will not appear blue.
The last blue supermoon was on Wednesday, January 31, 2018. The next will not occur until January 31, 2037.
