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Credit & Copyright: Gianni Tumino  
  
 
Explanation:
A Full Moon rose as the Sun set on August 1.  
  
Near perigee, the closest point in its almost moonthly orbit,  
the brighter than average lunar disk  
illuminated night skies around planet Earth as the second  
supermoon  
of 2023.  
  
Seen here above Ragusa, Sicily, cloud banks cast diverging shadows through  
the supermoonlit skies, creating dramatic lunar  
crepuscular rays.  
  
The next Full Moon in 2023 will also  
shine  
on an August night.  
  
Rising as the Sun sets on August 30/31, this second  
Full Moon in a month is known as a Blue Moon.  
  
Blue  
moons  
occur only once every 2 or 3 years  
because lunar phases take almost a calendar month (29.5 days)  
to go through a complete cycle.  
  
But August's Blue Moon will also be near perigee, the third supermoon  
in 2023.  
  
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
  