Watch On
The Supermoon Blue Moon occurs today, and you can watch it rise live from Central Italy in a free livestream — courtesy of astronomer Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project.
The livestream starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT), and you can catch the action live here on Space.com or directly on the Virtual Telescope Project’s WebTV page or YouTube channel, weather permitting.
Related: The Supermoon Blue Moon is coming. Here’s what to expect
“The show of the full moon (and of course of the “Supermoon”) offers its best when our satellite rises or sets, which happens at sunset and at dawn, respectively,” Masi wrote on the Virtual Telescope Project’s event page.
Supermoons can be particularly striking as they occur when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth. The moon thus appears about 30% brighter and 14% larger than usual at this time. However, that difference is often difficult to spot with the unaided eye. August’s Supermoon Blue Moon will officially be full at 2:26 p.m. EDT (1826 GMT), rise times vary depending on location.
August’s supermoon is the first of four in a row this year, with the closest supermoon occurring on Oct. 17.
Related: How to photograph a supermoon
A Blue Moon is a little more complicated, however, as the term actually has two meanings and neither has anything to do with color. The original definition is that it’s a seasonal Blue Moon, which refers to the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. This is the type of Blue Moon we will see rise on Aug. 19. The second definition — which arose from a misunderstanding of the first — refers to the second full moon in a single calendar month.
“The Supermoon offers us a great opportunity to look up and discover the sky. Showing the stunning beauty up there, feeding the desire to enjoy it more,” Masi wrote.
Editor’s Note: If you capture a stunning photo or video of the Supermoon Blue Moon and want to share it with Space.com for a possible story, send images, videos, and comments on the view and your location, as well as use permissions to spacephotos@space.com.
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