Super Blue Moon on August 19: Everything you should know

There's exciting news for all celestial event lovers!The next superblue moon will appear on August 19. This year, four supermoons are expected, and the first will occur on Monday (Aug 19) at 12:00 am IST (2:26 PM EDT).

What is a supermoon?

The supermoon, occurring on 19 August, will be the first of the four expected to be observed this year. The next supermoons will occur onSeptember 17followed byOctober17 andNovember 15. The supermoon occurring on October 17will be the closest one, also known as Hunter’s Moon.

According to NASA astrologer Richard Nolle coined the term “supermoon” in 1979, as a new or full moon occurs when the Moon is 90 per cent closest to the Earth. Meanwhile, full supermoons are the brightest and the biggest full moons of the year. They are 30 per cent brighter and 14 per cent larger than the usual moon. However, the difference cannot be spotted with unaided human eyes, unless you are a regular Moon observer.

Sometimes, a supermoon or even a regular full moon can appear big, and it is not related to astronomy but to the functioning of the human brain. This is known as the moon illusion. It is a trick of perception where the Moon appears much larger when rising or setting.

Will the blue moon in August be blue?

The blue moon occurring in August will unfortunately not be blue. There are two types of blue moon, but both have nothing to do with the blue colour. A traditional blue moon refers to the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. We will be observing the traditional blue moon onAugust 17.

According to Time and Date, the second type of blue moon arose from a misunderstanding of the original definition. The second type refers to the second full moon in a calendar month. This monthly blue moon definition is accepted as an alternative rather than a mistake. The second full moon of a month with two full moons came to be known as a blue moon in the 1940s.

When can youseethe blue moon onAugust 19?

The blue moon occurring onAugust19 can be seen globally. However,the appropriate time to seethe blue moon varies depending on thelocation and time zone. In India, the super blue moon will be visible during the night of August19 and into the early morning of August 20.

According to NASA, the super blue moon will appear for about three days from August 18 to August 20 at different places according to their time zones. In North America, it will be at its peak on August 19 at 2:26 PM EDT. Meanwhile, in Australia, the blue moon will appear on August 20.

(With inputs from agencies)