A 'Super-Rare' Blue Moon Will Be Visible Over Canada & There Hasn't Been One In Over 27 Years
Look to the skies!
A full moon in the sky.
You're going to want to look to the skies because there's going to be a super-rare blue moon visible over Canada this week and it's going to be the "biggest and brightest" of the supermoons this year.
Over the evening of August 30 and into early August 31, 2023, there's going to be a supermoon unlike any other. This supermoon is also a blue moon, the second full moon to appear in August.
Typically there are 12 full moons seen throughout the year – one for each month of the year – and a blue moon is when a second full moon appears twice in the same month, meaning that 13 full moons appear in the sky that year.
So if you're looking out at the sky expecting the moon to actually appear blue, you might be disappointed.
According to The Weather Network, a 'super' blue moon is even rarer as a supermoon happens when the moon becomes full at the same time as it's closest to Earth in its elliptical orbit, so the moon appears "bigger and brighter" in the sky.
However, the 'super' blue moon on August 30 is "super-rare" as it's actually a perigee blue moon. A perigee moon is the "closest, biggest and brightest" of all the supermoons seen throughout the year, TWN added. Perigee moons usually take place every 13 and a half months.
The last perigee blue moon took place over 27 years ago in July 1996 and the next won't be seen until December 31, 2115, in over 92 years' time!
However, this rare supermoon won't be the only thing visible in the night skies. According to NASA, Saturn which is just a few days from its closest and brightest, will also appear near the moon.
"As evening twilight ends (at 8:42 p.m.) Saturn will be five degrees to the upper right of the Moon, and will appear to swing clockwise around the moon as the evening progresses," it said.
So if you want to catch a glimpse of this extremely rare celestial event, head out and view the night sky on August 30.