"Super Blue Moon" Hits Skies Tonight

news image
Special Stories
31 Aug 2023 1:40 AM

Are you ready for a rare "Super Blue Moon" on August 31st? This space phenomenon only happens once every 10-15 years when there is both a second full moon in a month and the moon is at its closest point to Earth. Get ready to experience this month's Super Blue Moon, or you'll be waiting 14 years for the next!

Super Moon

Because the moon’s orbit around Earth is not a perfect circle, there are points in the year when it is closer to Earth. This is known as “perigee”. When the moon is at “perigee” and full, it is called a “supermoon” because it appears large and bright in the sky. It looks roughly 14% bigger than when the moon is full at its closet point away from Earth, according to NASA. 

Supermoon’s aren’t all that uncommon, they happen about 2x per year in back-to-back moon cycles. August 1st moon was a “supermoon” and our next set of supermoons will be 2024’s September and October moons.  

Blue Moons

A blue moon is known as one of two things:  

  1. A full moon twice in a calendar month 

  2. A third of four full moons in a season – Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter (rather than 3)  

Blue moons are less likely than supermoons, occurring in only 3% of full moons according to NASA. The next seasonal blue moon will be August 19, 2024 as we will have 4 full moons during the Summer season (June 20-September 22). Blue moons happen once every 2-3 years. The next calendar month Blue Moon happens on May 26, 2026 

For a supermoon AND blue moon to happen together … that’s pretty rare. The next opportunity for a “Super Blue Moon” won’t happen until January and March of 2037! 

All Weather News
More
Marie's Moisture Pulled into the Southwest

Marie's Moisture Pulled into the Southwest

While many do not associate tropical storms a

8 Sep 2026 2:10 PM
Rounds of Severe Storms Target the Plains and Northeast

Rounds of Severe Storms Target the Plains and Northeast

The Plains and Northeast have seen their fair

8 Sep 2026 2:10 PM
Hurricane Warning for Hawaii as Lowell Nears

Hurricane Warning for Hawaii as Lowell Nears

The Pacific hurricane season is showing no si

8 Sep 2026 9:50 AM
Will It Ever End? Heat Wave Persists for Much of the South & Plains

Will It Ever End? Heat Wave Persists for Much of the South & Plains

A relentless ridge of high pressure has been

8 Sep 2026 9:35 AM
Labor Day Travel Underway as Americans Hit the Roads and Take to the Skies

Labor Day Travel Underway as Americans Hit the Roads and Take to the Skies

The unofficial end of summer is bringing anot

7 Sep 2026 2:10 PM
Power Still Out for Thousands; Severe Storms Target the East Coast This Weekend

Power Still Out for Thousands; Severe Storms Target the East Coast This Weekend

Severe storms have been following the same pa

5 Sep 2026 1:50 PM
Flood Threat Lingers in Texas After Edouard

Flood Threat Lingers in Texas After Edouard

Intense rainfall has inundated parts of Texas

4 Sep 2026 1:00 AM