As soon as it gets dark today (08.19.2024), that is, during the early evening hours, look up from wherever you are because the August Full Moon will be visible in the night sky and will look like a perfect bright disk.
Before you say no to the above suggestion, the August full moon is not just a “simple” lunar phase, but a supermoon.
The moon travels around the Earth in an orbit that is not completely circular, so there is a point in its orbit that is closer to the Earth and a point that is farther away.
The moon is normally about 384,000 kilometers away from the Earth, but it will be 23,000 kilometers closer on the night of Monday – almost double its diameter from Earth.
According to NASA, this “supermoon” will be up to 14% larger and 30% brighter than full moons at apogee, when the Moon is at its maximum distance.
What is the “Sturgeon Moon”
The August Full Moon is also known as the “Sturgeon Moon” or the “Moon of the Sturgeon.” The spectacle it offers is unique. It is the largest moon of the year and its name comes from the Native Americans who on this specific day fished for this particular fish, also known as the sturgeon.
If you are confused, the scientists at the Visitor Center of the Athens Observatory published a fairly detailed text about the grandeur of tonight’s Supermoon:
Details from the Athens Observatory Visitor Center:
Today, August 19, 2024, we have a Full Moon! The August Full Moon of 2024 is also called the Blue Moon, without meaning that the Moon will be blue in color! This one is the seasonal Blue Moon, the third Full Moon of an astronomical season that has four Full Moons. Seasonal blue moons occur when there are four full moons in a season (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) instead of the usual three. However, there is another definition for the Blue Moon, the Monthly Blue Moon is the second Full Moon of a calendar month with two Full Moons (which happens every 2-3 years).
Why is it called a blue moon?
The historical origin of the term and its two definitions are surrounded by some mystery and, according to many, by an interpretive mistake.
Some believe that the term “blue moon,” which means something rare, may have originated from the instance when smoke and ash following a volcanic eruption made the moon appear blue. Others trace the origin of the term back 400 years – folklorist Philip Hiscock has suggested that invoking a blue moon once meant something was irrational and would never happen.
Today’s Full Moon is also a supermoon, the first of four consecutive supermoons of the year, at a distance of about 362,000 kilometers from the Earth. A supermoon is when the Moon is at 90% of its closest approach to Earth. Otherwise, it is the Full Moon near Perigee (the closest distance of the elliptical orbit of the Moon around the Earth).
To observe it, look towards the East/Southeast from 20:22 onwards. It will be relatively low in the sky (up to 30 degrees above the horizon) throughout the night. It sets at 7:12 AM on 20/8 in the West/Southwest.