Let’s go stargazing: spot TWO blue supermoons in the Dutch sky this August

Sure, you’ve heard of a full moon, and a blue moon, but a blue supermoon? That’s what’s happening tonight, and again on August 30 this summer. 

What exactly is this rare, extraordinary phenomenon in nature, you ask? Well, let’s start by going back to the basics and defining what a full moon is first. 🤔

Full moons tend to come about once a month thanks to the lunar cycle lasting around 29.5 days, AD.nl reports. So two of those happening within the same month? That’s a freak occurrence — but a beautiful one too. ✨🌚

In these particular cases, the second full moon of the month gets referred to as a “blue moon”. That’s why we’ve all come to know and love the English idiom “once in a blue moon”, which is sadly without a satisfying Dutch equivalent. 🥲

Full moon me once, full moon me twice

The last time we witnessed two full supermoons was back in 2018. We should also appreciate this one while it lasts, astronomers say, since the next double-mooned collab isn’t expected to happen again until 2037.  

The first of these two blue supermoons will be visible tonight, rising in the southeast and then hovering 357,530 kilometres away from Earth’s surface.

And, don’t panic, but this also means the moon will be a whole lot more up close and personal than it normally is. To put things into perspective, the largest distance that can separate the moon and Earth is apparently 405,696 kilometres.

That’s right — our moon could be a whopping 48,166 kilometres closer than usual.

Shoot for the moon

You know what that means: time for photographs, stargazing picnics, and moonlight rituals to commence. Let’s all be lunar-tics tonight. 👉👈

There’s no need to fret if the weather obscures your view of the first blue supermoon, though. The other supermoon will follow on Wednesday, August 30, giving you another opportunity for viewing. 

Not only that, but the second time around, the moon is inching even closer to our planet, maintaining an even smaller distance of roughly 357,344 kilometres. 

Are you going to watch the first blue supermoon tonight? Share your plans in the comments below!