Super Blue Moon August 2023: Where to see, time, date, and all you need to know

The Super Blue Moon of August 2023 will rise this week, making it an amazing spectacle for skygazers. According to NASA, the Blue Moon will rise on August 30 and will be easy to spot in the sky since it will be the largest and brightest moon of the year. The federal organization also states that it will be the third full moon of the season of the four in total.

The first full moon of this month was the Full Sturgeon Moon, which rose on August 1 and inspired some beautiful photos of the night sky from all over the world. The moon, which will rise on August 30, will be the brightest supermoon of this year.

Due to the minor ellipse of the moon's orbit around Earth, its distance varies. Its closest point to Earth is known as perigee, while its farthest point from Earth is known as apogee. A supermoon is a full moon that occurs on or near the monthly day of perigee.

At apogee, supermoons are 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than the moon. It's the added brightness that stands out.

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All you need to know about August 2023's Super Blue Moon

As per Forbes, the greatest time to see a full moon is when it rises around twilight, just after sunset. On Wednesday, August 30, 2023, at 8.37 pm EDT, the Super Blue Moon will officially become 100 percent lighted.

Because it rises during twilight, the ideal opportunity to watch the Super Blue Moon that evening is at the moonrise where you are. On Thursday, August 31, Europe will get an extra viewing night when the moon rises just a little bit later than it does on Wednesday.

The celestial event occurring in August 2023, known as the Super Blue Moon, will be accompanied by the presence of Saturn in the night sky.

As per NASA, the second largest planet will only be a few days beyond opposition, when it will be opposite the sun as viewed from Earth, making it extremely visible at night.

From New York City, Saturn will be above and to the moon's right in the constellation Aquarius. But if one looks at the sky from the Southern Hemisphere, Saturn will be below the moon.

Those anticipating a blue tint to the Super Blue Moon will be disappointed. According to Britannica, the term was derived from the 16th-century saying, "The Moon is blue," which signified the impossibility of a situation.

In addition, for a few years following the 1883 eruption of Indonesia's Krakatoa, people reported seeing curiously colored sunsets and a blue Moon. As a result, "once in a blue moon" became synonymous with something conceivable but uncommon.

Some of the other full moons of 2023 will be on September 29 (Harvest Moon), October 28 (Hunter's Moon), November 27 (Frost Moon), and December 27 (Cold Moon).