Prepare for a stunning double-supermoon display in August

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Big, bright lunar displays will bookend August as the moon nears its closest point to Earth. When the moon reaches this position in its orbit while also appearing full, the result is a supermoon — and there will be two this month.

The first of the supermoons will peak at 2:32 p.m. ET on Tuesday, which means lunar gazers in Europe, the United Kingdom, Africa and the Middle East can catch the orb glowing at its fullest in the night sky at a distance of about 222,158 miles (357,530 kilometers) from Earth, according to calculations from retired NASA astronomer Fred Espenak. For viewers in the United States, rest assured the moon will look round during the evening of August 1. Supermoons generally look brighter and bigger than other full moons because of their proximity, though it’s not always perceptible to the naked eye.

This week’s full moon is also called the “sturgeon moon” because it occurs around the time of year that, historically, indigenous populations found the large freshwater fish were easily caught in the Great Lakes, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Stateside, you can best catch a glimpse of the sturgeon supermoon after sunset Tuesday, looking toward the southeast.

 

 

Then, on August 30, a full moon will appear at the closest point to our planet this year — about 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) away — making it an elusive super blue moon.

A blue moon, in common parlance, refers to a second full moon that occurs within the same calendar month, which typically happens only once every two and a half years. The most recent blue moon, for example, occurred in October 2020.

The August 30 super blue moon will reach its peak at 9:36 p.m. ET, according to the almanac. The celestial orb will also be visible the night of August 31, local weather conditions allowing.

 

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[Emdog]

And just how should we "prepare"? clean out the guest room? Moon some passerbys? Get some moon cakes?