This week, the world will witness a rare full moon, popularly called the Blue Moon. It will also be a Supermoon, which means that the spectacle will be truly beautiful.

OBOZREVATEL tells you about the peculiarities of this natural phenomenon. And explains where and when you can admire it.

When you can see the Blue Moon

The astronomical phenomenon will be visible on the night of 30-31 August. The moon's disc will reach its peak of fullness at 4:35 a.m. Kyiv time on the 31st. However, the luminary will look completely round to the naked eye all night long, so there is no need to expect a specific moment.

The Earth's satellite will be in the sky for almost the entire dark part of the day. Its sunrise on the last night of this summer will be at 20:00, and sunset - at 4:34. This means that it will be easy to admire the unusually large and bright full moon. However, forecasters at the Ukrainian Weather Centre predict clouds over the entire territory of Ukraine. However, fortunately, they will not be continuous anywhere.

What is the Blue Moon

The Blue Moon is a phenomenon that occurs every 2-3 years. This is the name of the fourth full moon of the season. Usually, there are three of them, but because the lunar cycle is somewhat shorter than the calendar month, this shift occurs periodically.

The last Blue Moon took place in August 2021. The next one will be seen in August 2024.

Despite the name of the phenomenon, the disc of the Earth's natural satellite does not necessarily turn blue on such a night. Certain meteorological preconditions must be in place for this to happen.

What is a Supermoon

In addition to being the second full moon this August, the phenomenon will also be a Supermoon. It is observed when a natural satellite is fully illuminated by the sun's rays at the point of its orbit closest to our planet. This time, the distance from the Earth to the Moon will be approximately 357,000 kilometres, which is close enough to make the nighttime luminary look 14% larger than usual. It will also be slightly brighter. To be more precise, it will be the brightest this year.

However, we should not expect any supernatural parameters from the Moon. It will not occupy half the sky and will not illuminate everything like the Sun. However, it will still look great. The celestial body will look visually larger during its rising, so those who want to admire the really big Moon should go for a walk around 8-9 pm on 30 August.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, on 14 October this year, the world will witness an annular solar eclipse.

Subscribe to OBOZREVATEL's Telegram, Viber and Threads channels to keep up with the latest developments.