August’s lunar fanfare ended with the treat of a blue supermoon that occurred on Wednesday at 9:36 pm ET.
A blue moon is the second of two full moons in a month. Typically, a full moon occurs only once each month, but because the lunar cycle is 29.5 days, just short of the length of an average calendar month, a blue moon can occur . This difference means that some months we see two full moons.
That’s exactly what happened this month. The first full moon appeared on his August 1st, and the second appeared on Wednesday.
What is a blue supermoon?
A supermoon occurs when the full moon phase of the lunar cycle synchronizes with perigee, or when the full moon is closest to Earth. A supermoon appears brighter and larger than a normal full moon. According to NASAthe apparent size increase is 14 percent, which is equivalent to a difference of one-fourth from nickel.
Does the moon really look blue?
No, the word “blue moon” doesn’t actually describe its color. Most are the usual milky gray. (Specific phenomena, such as wildfires and volcanic eruptions, can dye the moon blue. This is the same visual effect that gave North American skies an orange hue this summer. )
According to NASA, the term “blue moon” referred to the third full moon in a season of four full moons. His second full moon on the moon, a new definition, was created in 1946 by the magazine “Sky & Telescope”.