Supermoon to rise Monday: What you need to know

The next full moon is about to rise and August brings not only a supermoon it will also be a blue moon.

What is a supermoon?

The term super moon means it is a bit closer to Earth so it looks bigger and brighter than other full moons, USA Today said. This is the first supermoon of the year, the Old Farmer’s Almanac said.

NASA said the event is called a perigee and the moon is about 226,000 miles from Earth. When it is at its farthest point, it is called apogee and is 253,000 miles away.

Originally supermoons were called a perigean full moon, but in 1979, the term supermoon started being used.

What is a blue moon?

You’ve heard the term “once in a blue moon” and it does mean a somewhat rare occurrence. It isn’t that the moon shines in a blue color.

There are actually two types of blue moons — seasonal and monthly.

This is the seasonal blue moon when it happens three or four times in a season. A monthly blue moon means there are two full moons in a single month, USA Today reported.

When do blue moons and supermoons happen at the same time?

NASA said that the blue and supermoon combination is somewhat rare, happening on average every 10 years, but it can be as long as 20 years, USA Today reported.

When is the next super blue moon?

You’ll have to wait for more than 10 years for the next super blue moon. It isn’t expected until January 2037, USA Today reported.

When does this week’s blue moon rise?

The moon will be at its peak in the middle of the afternoon on Monday - specifically at 2:26 p.m. ET, the Old Farmer’s Almanac said. But when it rises Monday night it will still look full. You will also be able to see a mostly full moon for three days starting on Sunday morning, USA Today reported.

What other names does August’s full moon go by?

The full moon goes by many names, but it is most commonly called the Sturgeon Moon from the fish that are typically caught during this part of the year.

It is also called:

• Flying Up Moon (Cree)
• Corn Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe)
• Harvest Moon (Dakota)
• Ricing Moon (Anishinaabe)
• Black Cherries Moon (Assiniboine)
• Mountain Shadows Moon (Tlingit)

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