Rare super blue moon to light up the sky this week

According to the daily mail, Stargazers are in for a treat as the third supermoon of the year is set to rise on the eve of August 30 at 9:36 pm EDT and at 2.35 am BST (in the early hours of of August 31).

Despite its name, the Moon will retain its usual shade of grey during the event but may appear up to 14 per cent larger and 30 per cent brighter than normal.

Instead, the ‘blue’ actually refers to the fact that it’s the second Full Moon of the month, following the ‘Sturgeon Moon’ which rose on August 1. 

According to NASA, there are two types of ‘Blue Moon’ in the world of astronomy, including a calendar Blue Moon and a seasonal Blue Moon.

The latter describes the third Full Moon of four in one astronomical season, meaning a calendar year has 13 full moons instead of the usual 12.

But Wednesday’s event actually falls into the ‘calendar category’ as the second Full Moon of August, after the Sturgeon Moon on August 1.

Generally, these occur every two to three years, with the last occurring in August 2021,adds the same source.