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Credit & Copyright: Gianni Tumino
Explanation:
Near perigee,
the closest point in its almost moonthly orbit,
a Full Moon rose as the Sun set on August 1.
Its brighter than average lunar disk was captured in this
dramatic moonrise sequence over dense cloud banks along the
eastern horizon from Ragusa, Sicily.
Illuminating night skies around planet Earth it was the second
supermoon
of 2023.
Yet again near perigee, the third supermoon of 2023 will also
shine
on an August night.
Rising as the Sun sets tonight
this second Full Moon in August will be known to some as a Blue Moon,
even though scattered sunlight gives the lunar disk a reddened hue.
Defined as the second full moon in a calendar month,
blue
moons
occur only once every 2 or 3 years.
That's because lunar phases take 29.5 days,
almost a calendar month, to go through a complete cycle.
Tonight
an August Blue Moon
will find itself beside bright planet Saturn.
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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