A uncommon blue supermoon — the closest full moon of the yr — dazzled stargazers Wednesday evening.
Saturn joined the celestial spectacle, seen alongside the moon, a minimum of the place skies had been clear.

The blue supermoon rises over the tower of Roca Vecchia in Lecce, Italy, on Aug. 30, 2023. Photograph by Manuel Romano/ NurPhoto by way of Getty Photographs
It was the second full moon of August, thus the blue label. And it was unusually near Earth, due to this fact a supermoon.
The moon seemed to be larger and brighter than normal, given its shut proximity to Earth: simply 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) or so. The Aug. 1 supermoon was greater than 100 miles (160 kilometers) farther away.

An astronomer watches because the blue moon rises over Taman Ismail Marzuki, in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photograph by Mas Agung Wilis/ NurPhoto by way of Getty Photographs

The tremendous blue moon happens when the moon is at its closest place to the Earth and is brighter than regular. Istanbul on Aug. 30, 2023. Photograph by Cagatay Kenarli /dia photos by way of Getty Photographs
In the event you missed it, will probably be an extended wait: The subsequent blue supermoon isn’t till 2037. However one other common supermoon is on the horizon on the finish of September, the final one of many yr.

The tremendous blue moon rises over The Wallace Monument in Stirling, Scotland. Blue moons happens roughly as soon as each two or three years. Photograph by Andrew Milligan/PA Photographs by way of Getty Photographs

The moon rises behind the pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Photograph by Amr Abdallah Dalsh/ Reuters

The total moon considered from Leeds, England. Photograph by Danny Lawson/PA Photographs by way of Getty Photographs)
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