Rare blue supermoon to peak in Pennsylvania soon. You won’t see it again until 2037
This week, central Pennsylvania residents will have the chance to see a moon that appears bigger and brighter than usual. The celestial event will be a supermoon and a blue moon, though it won’t appear blue in color.
The full moon will occur Wednesday and Thursday, according to Forbes, and the best time to see it is at moonrise either evening. The moon will rise at 8 p.m. Wednesday and 8:27 p.m. Thursday in State College.
The moon will become full at 9:36 p.m. Wednesday, NASA reports, and it will appear full from Tuesday night to Friday morning.
Thursday night should present a good viewing opportunity. The National Weather Service forecast says Thursday night should be mostly clear, with a low around 50 degrees, while Wednesday night is expected to be partly cloudy with a low around 55.
To get the best view of this month’s blue supermoon and other sights in the sky, NASA scientists recommend scoping out a dark, more rural stargazing spot if possible.
What is a blue supermoon?
A supermoon occurs when the moon is at or near its closest point to earth at the same time as it’s full, NASA reports, and this makes it appear “especially large and bright.”
This will be a “blue” moon because it is August’s second full moon. The sturgeon full moon peaked Aug. 1. A blue moon usually occurs once every two to three years, according to NASA.
It’s more unusual for a blue moon to coincide with a supermoon – roughly 25% of all full moons are supermoons, NASA estimates, and only 3% of all full moons are blue moons. The interval between blue supermoons can be up to 20 years, but is usually closer to 10.
“The next super blue moons will occur in a pair, in January and March 2037,” an Aug. 17 NASA article reads.
Although it will be a while before you can catch the next super blue moon, 2023 will have four more full moons, including one supermoon.
Here’s when to look:
Sept. 29: Harvest supermoon
Oct. 28: Hunter’s moon
Nov. 27: Beaver moon
Dec. 26: Cold moon
The Central Pennsylvania Observers will hold a free, public stargazing event from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday at Tudek Park.
