MACON, Ga. — You may notice the Moon appearing a bit brighter and a bit larger in the sky tonight. No, you aren't making it up, our eighth full Moon of the year is set to appear as a rare Blue Supermoon.
While a "blue" moon and a "supermoon" are not uncommon on their own, the combination of the two is extremely rare. Our next Blue Supermoon isn't set to occur until 2037.
So, what exactly is a blue moon, and what is a supermoon?
According to NASA, a supermoon refers to a full moon that occurs when the Moon is at its closest distance to the Earth, also known as its perigee. Tonight, the Moon will be roughly 224,917 miles away.
This causes the Moon to appear slightly brighter and larger. The Moon will appear 14% brighter and illuminate the Earth about 30% more than the furthest full moon.
The August Supermoon is known as the Sturgeon Moon, given its name after the Maine Farmer's Almanac began publishing Native American names for full Moons in the 1930s.
So, what makes the Sturgeon Moon a blue moon? Well, the term blue moon has two meanings. In this case, the term refers to the moon being the third one of the summer, which is considered uncommon. Thus, the Sturgeon Moon is a Blue Supermoon!
The Sturgeon Moon will be visible here in central Georgia tonight around 8:38 PM until it sets Tuesday morning around 7:50 AM.
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