Look Up! A Blue Supermoon Will Light Up the Sky

The Next Full Moon is a Supermoon, a Blue Moon; the Sturgeon Moon; the Red, Corn, Green Corn, Barley, Herb, Grain, or Dog Moon; Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi Purnima; and Tu B’Av.

August 2024 will feature a rare celestial event—a super blue Moon. This full Moon will be the first of four consecutive supermoons, offering the largest and brightest views of the year. Despite its name, the Blue Moon won’t appear blue but is so-called because it’s the third full Moon in a season with four. This lunar phase aligns with the Hindu festival Raksha Bandhan and coincides with several cultural events across different lunar calendars. Additionally, August presents excellent opportunities for stargazing, with Saturn’s optimal visibility and minor meteor showers adding to the celestial spectacle.

The full Moon will be Monday afternoon, August 19, 2024, at 2:26 p.m. EDT. This will be Tuesday morning from Nepal Standard Time eastward across the rest of Asia and Australia to the International Date Line. The Moon will appear full for three days, from Sunday morning through early Wednesday morning.

This will be a supermoon. The term “supermoon” was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 as either a new or full Moon that occurs when the Moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth. Since we don’t really see new Moons, what has caught the public’s attention are full supermoons as they are the biggest and brightest full Moons of the year. This will be the first of four consecutive supermoons this year (with the full Moons in September and October virtually tied for the closest of the year).