FILE - A supermoon rises through clouds over the skyline of lower Manhattan, Aug. 1, 2023, as seen from West Orange, N.J. Stargazers are in for a double treat on Wednesday night, Aug. 30: a rare blue supermoon with Saturn peeking from behind. The cosmic curtain rises Wednesday night with the second full moon of August, the reason it’s considered blue. It’s dubbed a supermoon because it’s closer to Earth than usual, appearing especially big and bright. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
By Marcia Dunn
Stargazers are in for a double treat on Aug. 30: a rare blue supermoon with Saturn peeking from behind.
The cosmic curtain rises Wednesday night with the second full moon of the month, the reason it’s considered blue. It’s dubbed a supermoon because it’s closer to Earth than usual, appearing especially big and bright.
This will be the closest full moon of the year, just 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) or so away. That’s more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) closer than the Aug. 1 supermoon.
As a bonus, Saturn will be visible as a bright point 5 degrees to the upper right of the moon at sunset in the east-southeastern sky, according to NASA. The ringed planet will appear to circle clockwise around the moon as the night wears on.
If you missed the month’s first spectacle, better catch this one. There won’t be another blue supermoon until 2037, according to Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project.
Clouds spoiled Masi's attempt to livestream the supermoon rising earlier this month. He’s hoping for clearer skies this time so he can capture the blue supermoon shining above St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
Weather permitting, observers don’t need binoculars or telescopes — “just their own eyes." said Masi.
“I’m always excited to admire the beauty of the night sky,” he said, especially when it features a blue supermoon.
The first supermoon of 2023 was in July. The fourth and last will be in September.
Amazon plans to launch its first prototype satellites for Project Kuiper, an internet-from-space venture, in 2022. It's the first major step in the e-commerce giant's plan to rival SpaceX by building a network of satellites in space, providing internet to rural, underserved communities around the world. Loren Grush, senior science reporter for the Verge, discusses the project and how it could transform internet access moving forward.
The FDA is assessing whether the Moderna vaccine can cause heart problems in adolescents. Professor Peter Pitts, founder of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and former FDA Associate Commissioner, discusses what the FDA is looking into and what it means for the millions of kids yet to be vaccinated.
Pfizer posted an earnings beat in its third quarter, with revenue soaring over 134% thanks to solid Covid-19 vaccine sales. Pfizer also raised its outlook for the full-year, expecting revenue to surpass $80 billion. Peter Andersen, CEO & founder of Andersen Capital Management, joined Cheddar Movers to discuss.
Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Ancient Oceans'; Deep-sea biologist Heather Bracken-Grissom sheds light on some of the monsters that we can and cannot explain lurking in the darkness of the ocean's depths; Tim Janssen, CEO of Sofar Ocean, discusses Sofar Ocean's latest round of Series B funding, and how Sofar Ocean is helping connect all five oceans to help everything from climate change to the global shipping industry.
Tim Janssen, CEO of Sofar Ocean, joins 'Cheddar Reveals' to discuss Sofar Ocean's latest round of Series B funding, and how Sofar Ocean is helping connect all five oceans to help everything from climate change to the global shipping industry.
Deep-sea biologist Heather Bracken-Grissom joins 'Cheddar Reveals' to shed light on some of the monsters that we can and cannot explain lurking in the darkness of the ocean's depths.
Leaders around the world have come together to discuss plans to bring action towards the Paris Agreement along with solutions on how to solve the evolving climate change crisis at the COP26 Summit. President and CEO of Center for International Environmental Law Carroll Muffett, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Rachel Cleetus, the policy director and lead economist of the climate and energy program for the Union of Concerned Scientists, joined Cheddar to break down some of the key goals from the COP26 summit and why leaders must focus on the science of climate change instead of getting bogged down by petty politics and the fossil fuel industry. "The main thing they have to do, make sure we're cutting our emissions sharply within this decade because the science shows that we have to cut global emissions in half by 2030 if we're going to meet our goals of averting some of the most catastrophic impacts of climate change," she said.
Coastal cities around the world are grappling with sea level rise. And building a seawall? Not so fast. While a sea wall can be effective in certain scenarios, it can make the effects of sea level rise worse. That’s why municipalities are looking into creative alternatives.
