In exciting news for stargazers, we can expect yet another supermoon in our skies this month! Having already experienced the ‘Sturgeon Moon’ on the first day of August, a rare ‘Blue Moon’ will follow this week. But here comes the bad news for stargazers. As Tropical Storm Idalia is expected to hit Florida as a hurricane this Wednesday, we may or may not be able to see it.
Despite its name, the Blue Moon will not turn blue; that’s just the term used for the second Full Moon in a month. And it does take place “once in a blue moon” because it’s pretty uncommon for two supermoons to grace the sky within a month.
The last Blue Moon was in 2021, and this year’s will be on Wednesday, August 30 — also becoming “the biggest and brightest full Moon of the year,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Time and Date shows that the moon will reach its peak at 9:35 p.m. in Miami.
While it’s looking like Idalia won’t make landfall in South Florida, the skies might not be in tip-top shape to view the moon since the storm is likely to bring us heavy rain and cloudy skies.
Still not really sure what a supermoon is? A supermoon is a celestial event where the moon is near or at its closest proximity to the Earth (or its “perigee”). This simply means the moon is substantially brighter and larger than usual, although it doesn’t appear drastically different to the human eye than an average full moon.
It also means tides will be running high, which can amplify the storm surge and waves that accompany a hurricane. Storm surge from Idalia could could reach as high as 11 feet in the Big Bend area.
This year’s first supermoon was in July. The next one will occur in September, but August’s two supermoons will be closer than either of those.
Read more about the Blue Moon at Space.com.