Tonight's extremely rare super blue moon will be the last one until 2037
An extremely rare super blue moon is set to dazzle the night's sky on August 30 to 31.
If you're lucky to have clear skies then you will definitely want to stick your head outside and witness this incredible celestial event.
NASA claims the super blue moon isn't expected to return until 2037, so you won't want to miss it.
But you might be asking yourself 'what is a super blue moon'.
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Let us tell you.
So, it's actually made up of a few things.
A supermoon happens when our closest celestial object gets as close to Earth as possible.
NASA says: "When the Moon is at or near its closest point to Earth at the same time as it is full, it is called a 'supermoon'."
It can usually appear around 14 per cent bigger in the night's sky and it certainly is a sight to be seen.
However, the blue aspect is something that only happens once in a...blue moon.
The phrase comes from the phenomena where we get two full moons in one calendar month.
The moon goes through a full cycle every every 29.5 days.
NASA says: "Eventually that gap results in a full moon happening at the beginning of a month with enough days still remaining for another full cycle ― so a second full moon in the same month.
"In other words, a full moon that happens on the 1st or 2nd of a month will probably be followed by a second full moon on the 30th or 31st. This happens every two to three years."
But to have a supermoon and a blue moon on the same night is a very rare occasion.
That's why we won't get to see another one until 2037.
Also, just so you don't get disappointed, the moon won't actually turn blue. It's just a name.
InTheSky.org forecasts that the rare 'Blue Supermoon' will be visible on Wednesday (30 August) predicting that the moon will rise at 12:10am (7:10pm ET) and set at 11:46am (6:46am ET) on Thursday (31 August).
And if you're more into your planets than your moon then not to worry as the Blue Moon of August 2023 will also be joined by a special guest in the sky - gassy giant Saturn.
The planet, which is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System after Jupiter, will also be particularly illuminated that same evening.
This is because it will be at a point in the sky where it lies directly opposite the sun as it is seen from Earth.
Topics: Space
Stewart Perrie