The cosmos is offering up a double feature in August: a pair of supermoons culminating in a rare blue moon.
Catch the first show Tuesday evening as the full moon rises in the southeast, appearing slightly brighter and bigger than normal. That’s because it will be closer than usual, just 222,159 miles (357,530 kilometers) away, thus the supermoon label.
The moon will be even closer the night of Aug. 30 — a scant 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) distant. Because it’s the second full moon in the same month, it will be what's called a blue moon.
“Warm summer nights are the ideal time to watch the full moon rise in the eastern sky within minutes of sunset. And it happens twice in August,” said retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak, dubbed Mr. Eclipse for his eclipse-chasing expertise.
The last time two full supermoons graced the sky in the same month was in 2018. It won’t happen again until 2037, according to Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project.
Masi will provide a live webcast of Tuesday evening’s supermoon, as it rises over the Coliseum in Rome.
“My plans are to capture the beauty of this ... hopefully bringing the emotion of the show to our viewers,” Masi said in an email.
“The supermoon offers us a great opportunity to look up and discover the sky,” he added.
This year’s first supermoon was in July. The fourth and last will be in September. The two in August will be closer than either of those.
Provided clear skies, binoculars or backyard telescopes can enhance the experience, Espenak said, revealing such features as lunar maria — the dark plains formed by ancient volcanic lava flows — and rays emanating from lunar craters.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the August full moon is traditionally known as the sturgeon moon. That’s because of the abundance of that fish in the Great Lakes in August, hundreds of years ago.
Verizon Media launches 'Yahoo Life,' a website dedicated to provided well-being services. CEO Guru Gowrappan talked to Cheddar about helping provide support for Verizon's employees and customers along with society at large.
Garret Reisman talks difficulty of returning to Earth from space as Nasa and SpaceX prepare for a return mission.
Transportation Workers Union Local 100 and the NYU School of Global Public Health are conducting a comprehensive study about why the pandemic hit the workers of New York City's transit system so hard early in the outbreak.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has told lawmakers that once a coronavirus vaccine is approved as safe and effective, Americans should have widespread access within a reasonable time.
New York City has over 6,000 high rise buildings and for the last 75 years most of the skyscrapers built were constructed with glass facades. This trend has continued in cities across the world like London, Moscow, and Shanghai. But over the years, the drawbacks have become more prominent. They may look like elegant symbols of modernity, but beyond that shimmer is a list of problems that has some leaders proposing bans. All that beauty comes at a price.
Volunteers rolled up their sleeves Monday to take part in the biggest test yet of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Amgen Foundation is doubling down on its support for virtual education platform Khan Academy with a $3 million grant.
Sorrento Therapeutics has been approved by the FDA to move forward with Phase 2 trials of its 'Abivertinib' study. ICU patients in some SoCal hospitals will undergo testing of the orally administered drug.
