(August 30) Wya News: In August, a unique pair of supermoons will come to a conclusion with a Blue Moon event, a phenomenon that won’t repeat until the 2030s.
The initial full moon of the month occurred on Tuesday, August 1st, followed by another on August 30th. Both of these moons will be situated within a distance of 360,000 kilometers from Earth, resulting in a larger and brighter appearance.
The following opportunity for a super blue moon will arise in August 2032, making this the final chance to observe such an occurrence in this decade.
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Despite the name’s implication, the second full moon won’t actually exhibit a blue hue. Instead, the term “Blue Moon” denotes the second full moon transpiring in a single calendar month. Given that full moons emerge every 29 days, there are instances where a single month hosts two full moons.
Instances of blue-colored moons occur when significant disturbances happen in Earth’s atmosphere, such as those following volcanic eruptions. Notably, blue moons became frequent following the eruption of Indonesia’s Krakatoa volcano in 1883.
Nasa explained, “A blue moon occurs when in the air there are many particles slightly larger than the wavelength of red light (0.7 micron) – and no other sizes are present.” This scenario is rare, though it can be triggered by volcanic or forest fire emissions. With substantial wildfires in 2023, like those in Canada and the Mediterranean, the possibility of a blue moon arises if ash or smoke containing specific particles is released.
However, red-colored Blue Moons are more commonly observed than their blue counterparts.
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For those interested, the Virtual Telescope Project’s official YouTube channel will provide live streams of both August supermoons. Weather conditions in the UK might not be optimal for moon-watching on Tuesday, as forecasts from the Met Office predict significant cloud cover over many regions.
Conditions should slightly improve on Wednesday night, when the Moon, despite being past its peak, will still present itself as full.
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