[ad_1]
Skywatchers interested in value can rejoice on Monday as tonight could see a rare event of a supermoon and a seasonal blue moon coming together in one scene.
NASA says this combination occurs roughly every 10 years under the strictest definition of a blue moon — the third in a season of four full moons.
A supermoon occurs when the moon is at its closest point to Earth along its orbit. Even supermoons vary in proximity, with the strongest moon appearing about 14 percent larger than when the moon is at its farthest point from Earth. NASA said this won't be one of the strongest supermoons, but it will still be a giant.
The moon will remain white and gray, with hints of brown and yellow.
Sometimes the interval between two appearances of what NASA calls a “super blue moon” can be up to 20 years, NASA said in the FAQ section: For a bright Monday night.
The space agency said using a newer definition of a blue moon — the second full moon in a month with two — in addition to the traditional definition of a seasonal blue moon would result in a super blue moon every five years or so.
The next time a moon like Monday's — a supermoon that coincides with a seasonal blue moon — will occur will be on Aug. 21, 2032, NASA said. The next supermoon that coincides with a monthly blue moon will be in January 2037, it added.
Monday's super blue moon is also a rough indicator of the last 30 days of summer, as the season comes to an end on September 21.
“Seasonal blue moons always occur about one month before the summer equinox or solstice,” NASA says in its FAQ.
Many people in the United States hoping to take advantage of this rare “two-for-one” deal may be disappointed: The National Weather Service is forecasting thunderstorms from the northern Mid-Atlantic to New England overnight, with thunderstorms also possible in the High Plains, which includes parts of Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, visibility appears to be good. The National Weather Service in the area is forecasting mostly clear skies and “good visibility of the supermoon tonight,” according to its latest forecast discussion.
At the San Francisco Giants vs. Chicago White Sox game, which starts about an hour before sunset, Blue Moon Brewing of Denver plans to display drones after the game to fans at Oracle Park.
“Following the final score of the Giants vs. White Sox game, the stadium lights will be turned off and the sky above Oracle Park will be lit up with a drone display titled: Once in a Blue Moon,” the brewery said in a statement.
This article was originally published on NBC News.com
[ad_2]
Source