Blue supermoon swallowed Saturn: astrophotographer captures incredible sight

On the night of August 21, the Blue Supermoon, also called Sturgeon, covered Saturn and absorbed the light of the ringed planet. The incredible astrophotographic image was taken by British photographer Josh Dury.

From the Earth, it looked like the Moon had absorbed Saturn for more than an hour. The interesting astronomical phenomenon was visible only from some parts of South America, Europe, and Africa, LiveScience reports.

To capture the amazing photo of the moon swallowing Saturn, astrophotographer Josh Dury combined 30 separate images into one epic time-lapse that captures the full course of the lunar eclipse. Saturn's rings are clearly visible as the planet slips behind the northwestern limb of the full moon, reappearing in the east about an hour later.

Although it appears that these two space objects are located in the same area of the sky, Saturn is actually hundreds of millions of kilometers away, making the occultation a cosmic optical illusion similar to a solar eclipse.

Right now, the Moon looks especially big and bright because it is a supermoon – a full moon orbiting within 90% of its closest point to Earth, also called perigee. According to NASA, at perigee, the Moon can appear about 15% larger in diameter than at its farthest point from Earth (apogee), and noticeably brighter.

The August full moon is the first of four consecutive supermoons in 2024.

Astronomers emphasize that this is not the last occultation of Saturn this year. The event will happen again in the fall. In the early hours of September 17, the Moon will reappear to engulf the planet with rings. This time, this phenomenon will be best seen in some parts of Australia and the western United States.

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