What is the Blue Supermoon and how can it be seen in California?
The Super Blue Moon on Wednesday night will bring together two astronomical phenomena, one relatively common and the other rare. Here’s how to see it…
For the first time since 2018, California residents will be able to witness the rare phenomenon known as the Super Blue Moon on Wednesday night and we’ll tell you what it is and how to see it. The sky will shine brighter than normal on August 30 to say goodbye to summer in the golden state and another one will not happen again until 2037, and this particular event not until 2115!
When talking about a Super Blue Moon
The term ‘blue moon’ refers to a second full moon in the same month. And as for ‘supermoon’, on average they appear about 7 percent bigger and about 15 percent brighter than a typical full moon. Compared to the moon at its faintest, a supermoon is roughly 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter.
Supermoons occur when the moon is full at the same time as its closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, or perigee. A full moon is considered a supermoon, not an official astronomical term, when it comes within 90 percent of perigee. They always appear consecutively happening three or four times a year. This will be the third of four in a row.
According to NASA, 25 percent of full moons are supermoons while only 3 percent of full moons are blue moons, thus the expression “once in a blue moon” to indicate that something rarely happens.
This partiular Supermoon will be the brightest of the year as the Moon will be a perigee. It is also very rare for this to occur as a blue moon, the next won’t happen until December 2115.
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Reference is also made to two phenomena that occur simultaneously: at the same time that the satellite is at its closest point to earth, according to National Geographic. The moon will look bigger and brighter on Wednesday because it will be a little closer to Earth.
Fortunately,you can see the Super Blue Moon from wherever you are and it will occur on the night of August 30-31. Many people head to the Griffith Observatory, one of the highest points in Los Angeles, to witness this gift of mother nature.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac provides a handy moonrise and moonset calculator for locations in the United States that you can use to catch the Moon while it is near the horizon. This is probably the optimal time to view a supermoon as it will truly seem bigger than normal thanks to the ‘big moon illusion’.
If you are looking to catch the perfect photo of the supermoon there are some tools that can help you. For your smartphone there is a useful app, PhotoPills, available for iOS and Android. So that you can make the most of using the app PetaPixel gives a walk through of the app’s features.