Aug. 19, 2024

The Blue Supermoon

The Blue Supermoon

Just as the Earth doesn't orbit the sun in a perfect circle, the moon's orbit around Earth isn't perfectly circular either. Instead, the moon follows an elliptical path, creating an oval-like orbit. This elliptical orbit means that sometimes the moon...

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Just as the Earth doesn't orbit the sun in a perfect circle, the moon's orbit around Earth isn't perfectly circular either. Instead, the moon follows an elliptical path, creating an oval-like orbit. This elliptical orbit means that sometimes the moon is closer to Earth. When the moon is both full and at its closest point, it’s called a supermoon, appearing brighter and larger than usual.

Supermoons happen about three to four times a year. The term "supermoon" was first introduced in 1979, though astronomers refer to this event as a perigean full moon. Perigee is the closest point in the moon’s orbit, which averages about 226,000 miles from Earth.

A blue moon is simpler to explain and relates to the frequency of full moons. There are two types of blue moons: monthly and seasonal.

A monthly blue moon occurs when there are two full moons in one month. Monday’s full moon, however, is a seasonal blue moon: it’s the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. Typically, a season only has three full moons, but the summer of 2024 has four.

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Calorogus Shark Media. Welcome to sleep from space, where we

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lull you to sleep with the wonders of the cosmos.

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Tonight we drift through the mysteries of the blue supermoon.

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Imagine yourself floating in the vast expanse of space, gazing

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at the Earth below. As you orbit, you notice something

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peculiar about our celestial companion, the Moon. On this special

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Monday night, the moon appears different. It's not just any

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full moon, but a blue supermoon, a rare cosmic event

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that combines two celestial phenomena. First, we have the supermoon.

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Picture the Moon's orbit as an oval rather than a

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perfect circle. Sometimes it comes closer to Earth, appearing larger

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and brighter in our night sky. This is a supermoon,

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occurring just a few times each year. Now add to

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this the concept of a blue moon. No, the moon

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doesn't actually turn blue. It's simply the third of four

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full moons in a single season. Usually we only see three.

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As you drift in space, you might wonder how often

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this celestial dance occurs. Typically, we witness this cosmic waltz

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once every decade, but the universe has surprised us gifting

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two blue supermoons in consecutive years. If you were to

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look closely from your vantage point in space, you'd see

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the moon reach its fullest at precisely two twenty six

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pm Eastern daylight time. But don't worry if you miss

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that exact moment. The moon will appear full for three

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whole days, giving you plenty of time to bask in

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its gentle glow. As your mind begins to slow and

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your eyelids grow heavy, imagine the Moon's light washing over

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the Earth. It illuminates the sturgeons swimming in the Great Lakes,

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a nod to the Native American name for August's full moon.

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Before you drift off to sleep, remember that the cosmos

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has more surprises in store. Three more supermoons will grace

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our skies this year, in September, October, and November, each

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one a celestial lullaby, singing the Earth to sleep. As

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you float in the vastness of space, let the gentle

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light of the blue supermoon guide you into peaceful slumber.

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Good Night, dear traveler, and sweet dreams among the stars.