Catch the rare supermoon from Pretoria tonight
Residents of Pretoria can anticipate the sight of a rare supermoon, also known as a blue moon, tomorrow, 19 August 2024.
Pretoria residents have a unique opportunity to witness a rare supermoon, known as a blue moon, on 19 August 2024. This spectacular celestial event, one of the largest and brightest moons of the year, won’t occur again until 2037.
Rare supermoon is a highly uncommon astronomical event
On 19 August, a rare celestial event will take place in the sky – a combination of a supermoon and a blue moon. Those in Pretoria will be able to see this unusual sight. This combination only occurs a few times per few decades, making tomorrow’s event a highly uncommon one.
Since people traditionally refer to the full moon that occurs in August as a ‘Sturgeon Moon’, this supermoon blue moon is also termed a ‘sturgeon moon’.
This unusual event will not occur again until 2037.
The time between super blue moons can be as much as 20 years. However, in general, the average is 10 years, according to Pretoria Rekord. Surprisingly, last year there was also a super blue moon in August.
Although you can see a supermoon with the naked eye, a telescope or binoculars can improve the view by highlighting more features on the moon’s surface.
When is a moon a supermoon?
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astrologer Richard Nolle coined the term ‘supermoon’ in 1979. He used it to describe either a new or full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth.
A supermoon is called this because the moon appears significantly large in the sky since it is the closest to Earth at a time when it is full.
Is a blue moon blue?
Even though people call it a blue moon, it does not have anything to do with colour.
Speculations on the origin of the term include an old English phrase that means ‘betrayer moon’. This was because it led to mistakes in setting the dates for Lent and Easter. Since the 1940s the term has also been used for the second full moon in a month that has two full moons.
The first recorded use of ‘blue moon’ in the English language dates back to 1528.