Take a moment to look up at the sky tonight as a rare super blue moon will light up Toronto’s skies for the next three days.
According to NASA, the super blue moon will appear full from Sunday morning through early Wednesday morning. Ilana MacDonald, public outreach communications and events strategist for the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at University of Toronto outlines the difference between a supermoon and blue moon.
WHAT IS A SUPERMOON?
“A supermoon is a full moon that happens when the moon is at its closest to the Earth in its orbit. So, the moon is going around the Earth, and it’s in a slightly elliptical orbit, which means that sometimes it’s a little bit closer to the earth, sometimes a little bit far away,” she said in an interview with Now Toronto on Monday.
“And when a full moon, which means the sun is totally illuminating the moon’s face, from our point of view, when that coincides with the point when the moon is closest to us, that’s what we call a super moon,” she continued.
According to the expert, a supermoon is about ten to 15 per cent bigger and about 30 per cent brighter than a regular moon.
TWO TYPES OF BLUE MOONS
When it comes to a blue moon, there are two different types and the term has nothing to do with the colour of the moon.
“There’s a seasonal blue and a calendar blue moon. A calendar blue moon is the one that people know more about, and that would be the second full moon in a month that has two full moons, which happens occasionally, and then a seasonal blue moon is when there are four full moons in a season, which doesn’t always happen,” she explained.
She adds that this usually means there are 13 full moons in a year instead of 12. In this case, the full moon is the third out of four full moons happening this summer season before Sept. 21. After tonight, the next full moon is Sept. 17.
Currently, the city is experiencing a blue supermoon which is basically a full moon that appears brighter and closer to the earth.
MacDonald says due to the rarity of these two types of moons, it could be another decade before people see another super blue moon. Scientists speculate the next super blue moon won’t be until 2037.
SATURN TO BE VISIBLE BESIDE SUPER BLUE MOON
In addition to the super blue moon, MacDonald notes that people will be able to see the planet Saturn right next to the moon on Tuesday night.
“…If you have a telescope or even a good pair of binoculars, you’d be able to see Saturn right next to the moon, and through a good pair of binoculars, you should see Saturn’s rings, which are really nice and so tomorrow night will be an easy way to find Saturn,” she said.
Meanwhile, to the naked eye, the planet will appear to look like a bright star next to the moon.
WHERE TO SEE IT IN TORONTO
In the city, Macdonald says people will be able to see the super blue moon anywhere with a view of the southern sky and the best part is, the moon will rise at sunset and set at sunrise, so it is essentially visible all night long.
“Early in the evening, you want to see if you can get a nice view of the southeastern sky. If you look at it at midnight, it’ll be right due south, high in the sky. And then, if you’re up very, very early in the morning, before sunrise, then you’d be able to see it in the western sky,” she said.
