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The first supermoon will appear on August 1st, when the Moon rises in the southeast. During this time, it will look larger and brighter due to its closer proximity to Earth, being only 357,530 km away. In comparison, the average distance between Earth and the Moon is 384,400 km.
The Moon will come even closer on August 30th, at a distance of 357,344 km from Earth. Since this is the second full moon in the same month, it is referred to as a Blue Moon.
“Summer nights are the ideal time to observe the full moon rising in the eastern sky shortly after the Sun sets. And this happens twice in August,” said Fred Espenak, a retired NASA astrophysicist.
The last time two supermoons occurred in the same month was in 2018. According to Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project, this will not happen again until 2037.
The first supermoon of this year already occurred in July. The fourth and final one for the year will take place in September. The two supermoons in August will be closer to Earth than both of these instances.
Espenak mentioned that with clear skies, telescopes or binoculars can enhance the viewing experience, revealing structures like the Moon’s seas – dark plains formed by ancient volcanic lava flows – and rays emanating from impact craters on the Moon’s surface.
The August full moon is also known as the sturgeon moon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. This is because this type of fish was abundant in the Great Lakes – five large lakes in North America – during August hundreds of years ago.