It's Supermoon Day

It’s that time of year again – a bright supermoon will appear in the night sky.<br /> Except that the supermoon may not appear that, well, super to make our earthbound eyes.<br /> <br /> “If you had a regular moon<br /> right next to a supermoon you could definitely see the difference, but you really won't be able to notice much of a difference just looking at it in the sky,” said Mike Narlock, head astronomer at<br /> Cranbrook Institute of Science, to CBS .<br /> <br /> An ever so slightly larger<br /> version of a full moon is<br /> called a supermoon, or more<br /> technically, a lunar perigee.<br /> The moon appears bigger because it orbits closer than usual to Earth. To the right is a comparison image of a full moon<br /> (left) and a supermoon (right).<br /> <br /> Still, in case you’re<br /> interested, the perigee will occur on Sunday, August 30 at 11<br /> a.m. EDT (1500 GMT), according<br /> to <a href='http://space.com'>space.com</a>. At that time, the×moon will be around 222,631 miles (358,290 kilometers)<br /> away.<br /> <br /> Unfortunately, that’s not the best time for those of you in North America. Your best bet is to view the full moon, which will be close to a perigee, on Saturday evening, August 29.<br /> <br /> Although the supermoon may not appear as lustrous as its name, the closer distance is important. When the moon orbits this near to Earth, the ocean<br /> tides become stronger. Thus, on the day of the supermoon and for three days after, the Earth<br /> will experience larger than typical tides.<br /> <br /> If you’re not in the mood to see a slightly larger moon, then perhaps check out the tides in your local area. Or even better, combine the two.<br /> <br /> <b>Credit:</b> <a href='http://ifls.com'>IFLS</a><br /> <a href='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G1kwPrnw8jQ/VeIS5251bBI/AAAAAAAAAHY/tJDHM5fZwqo/s2560/1440879334242.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G1kwPrnw8jQ/VeIS5251bBI/AAAAAAAAAHY/tJDHM5fZwqo/s350/1440879334242.jpeg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;"/></a>

It's Supermoon Day

It’s that time of year again – a bright supermoon will appear in the night sky. Except that the supermoon may not appear that, well, super ...

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This Friday, There Would Be a Blue Moon

<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>This Friday, there will be a once in a blue moon occurrence. If you step outside, you might find yourself gazing out at a brimming, full moon.<br/> <br/> Disappointingly, it won't actually be blue; the term is a misnomer. In fact, a blue moon isn't any different to any other full moon.<br/> In the past, a blue moon was used to mean "rare," but now the name is given to any full moon that is the second to appear in one calendar month. The lunar cycle is around 29<br/> and a half days, and months of the year are between 28 and 31 days long. The probability of a full lunar cycle, from full moon to full moon,<br/> occurring precisely during this time window is therefore not very high.<br/> <br/> The next blue moon, by this definition, is going to be on January 31, 2018 – around two and a half years from now. There will be another blue moon two months after that on March 31, 2018,<br/> after which it will be another two-year wait.<br/> <br/> The term "blue moon" has evolved over the last 200 years or so. Initially, a blue moon was<br/> based on a complicated combination of. circumstances. In one astronomical season, there are normally three full moons and if there was ever a fourth, then that would be the blue moon.<br/> <br/> However, this all changed when a hobby astronomer, James Hugh Pruett, wrote an article that was published in the magazine <a href='http://skyandtelescope.com'><br/> Sky and Telescope</a> in 1946. He defined a blue moon as any second full moon in a calendar month.<br/> <br/> This definition was incorrect, but it was so much easier to understand that the world scrambled to embrace this new definition.<br/> <br/> You might be feeling a little disheartened that the moon won't be blue, but blue moons in terms of color have been seen in the past under very special circumstances. <br/> <br/> Usually, these moons are reported after a volcanic eruption or even a forest fire, which release plumes of<br/> particles that rise into the atmosphere. The particles happen to be the perfect size to scatter away red light, only allowing blue light through the dust cloud. Out of the ashes, a blue moon appears.<br/> <br/> <a href='http://ifls.com'>IFLS</a><br/> <br/> <a href='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v6UZ2KyJpjc/VbsrPmwc4PI/AAAAAAAAAG0/hMyfNBjEwrM/s2560/1438329660547.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v6UZ2KyJpjc/VbsrPmwc4PI/AAAAAAAAAG0/hMyfNBjEwrM/s350/1438329660547.jpeg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;"/></a></div>

This Friday, There Would Be a Blue Moon

This Friday, there will be a once in a blue moon occurrence. If you step outside, you might find yourself gazing out at a brimming, full moo...

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