Pasadena Residents Can Witness Rare Super Blue Moon Wednesday When Moon Seems Larger

The Moon will appear larger in Pasadena on Wednesday night as the full moon will be at its closest point to Earth.

The combination  of circumstances will produce a “supermoon,” according to NASA.  

“The proximity of the Moon to Earth during a supermoon makes it appear about 14% larger than it does during the apogee, when it is farthest from Earth,” NASA said. 

The phenomenon is also called a “blue moon?” 

No, it doesn’t have anything to do with color. Here’s how NASA explains it: 

“A blue moon is the term for when we see the full moon twice in a single month. The Moon’s cycle is 29.5 days, so just a bit shorter than the average length of a calendar month. Eventually that gap results in a full moon happening at the beginning of a month with enough days still remaining for another full cycle – so a second full moon in the same month. In other words, a full moon that happens on the 1st or 2nd of a month will probably be followed by a second full moon on the 30th or 31st.”

NASA says this – a blue moon – happens every two to three years.

In Pasadena, you can expect to see the Super Blue Moon rise in the east after sunset on Wednesday, Aug. 30. It will rise in the east after sunset, and the best time to view it is during moonrise, which occurs at 7:45 p.m. The Moon will be at its fullest and brightest at 6:35 p.m. 

If the weather isn’t cooperating, or if you prefer to watch the phenomenon online, the Virtual Telescope Project, by Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi in Rome, will host a free livestream of the event starting at 03:30 GMT on Aug. 31 (that’s about 8:30 p.m. in Pasadena. 

For more  about this August’s “super blue moon,” visit https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2367/the-next-full-moon-is-a-supermoon-and-a-blue-moon/. 

To stand by for the live Virtual Telescope Project feed, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpX_G3pYPV8.