It’s going to be a sight for sore eyes!
Torontonians will be able to witness a rare blue supermoon on Wednesday that will make the moon shine brighter and larger than ever before.
This will mark the second time this month where a full moon will occur, thus the name “Blue Moon.”
However, the term does not actually signify a literal “blue” moon. This term only became popular after a mistake was printed in a 1946 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine.
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, this time the event is considered a supermoon because it is extremely close to Earth, about 222,043 miles away (357,343 kilometres).
“‘Supermoon’ is a catchy term for what astronomers call ‘a perigean full Moon’ which is when the full Moon happens at or near its closest point to Earth in its oval-shaped orbit,” the website explained.
The supermoon will look approximately eight per cent larger and 16 per cent brighter, the Almanac says.
NASA says Saturn will also be visible near the moon. When twilight ends around 8:42 p.m, Saturn will be seen five degrees to the upper right of the moon and will appear to swing clockwise around the moon throughout the evening.
The blue supermoon phenomenon is not expected to occur again until January and March 2037.
Torontonians can see the supermoon peak tomorrow at 9:36 p.m.
