The rare first 'Super Blue Moon' of 2024 is about to appear: What time should you watch it in Ho Chi Minh City?
Báo Thanh niên•18/08/2024
Many Vietnamese astronomy enthusiasts are counting down to admire the first supermoon of 2024, which is also a rare Blue Moon. What's interesting?
According to Timeanddate.com , on the night of August 19 UTC (early morning of August 20 Vietnam time), the first supermoon of 2024 will light up the night sky. This supermoon is a rare Blue Moon, also the August full moon known as the Sturgeon Moon.
The first supermoon of 2024 coincides with a blue moon
HUY HYUNH
What is Blue Moon?
Timeanddate.com says this is the biggest and brightest full moon of 2024 so far, and it's also a Blue Moon. In fact, the moon isn't blue as some people mistakenly believe, it's simply a name. According to experts, Blue Moons are a purely cultural thing in many Western countries in the past. There are two different definitions of Blue Moons, and both are related to the inclusion of full moons in our modern calendars: 1. A seasonal Blue Moon is the third full moon in an astronomical season with four full moons.2. A monthly Blue Moon is the second full moon in a calendar month with two full moons. So, the blue moon on August 20 in Vietnam is a seasonal Blue Moon. After that, Vietnamese people will have to wait until May 31, 2026 to be able to admire a monthly Blue Moon. According to NASA, Blue Moons of both types occur every 2-3 years. The most recent seasonal Blue Moons were in October 2020 and August 2021. The next seasonal Blue Moon will occur in May 2027.
When observing a Blue Moon, the moon does not appear blue as its name suggests.
HUY HYUNH
EarthSky reports that the last Blue Moon we saw was on August 30-31, 2023, and it was a monthly Blue Moon. But this year's Blue Moon on August 20 is different. "This is the third of four full moons in a season, with a season being defined as the time between the summer solstice and the spring equinox. In fact, this is also a supermoon, the first of four consecutive supermoons," the expert added.
Is Blue Moon rare?
According to Timeanddate.com , many people interested in astronomy may have heard the phrase "once in a blue moon." So how often do Blue Moons occur? They occur about every 2 or 3 years. Seasonal Blue Moons occur less frequently than monthly Blue Moons. When we add up the Blue Moons in the 1,100 years from 1550 to 2650, there are 408 seasonal Blue Moons and 456 monthly Blue Moons, according to experts. The Hanoi Astronomical Society (HAS) also said that when a supermoon, a Blue Moon, occurs, the moon will be on the opposite side of the earth and the sun, its face will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 1:27 a.m. (Vietnam time). In Ho Chi Minh City, Timeanddate.com said the time of the "super Blue Moon" will be 1:25 a.m. on August 20.
This full moon was known to early Native American tribes as the Sturgeon Moon.
HUY HYUNH
This full moon was called the Sturgeon Moon by early Native American tribes because sturgeon in other large lakes were easier to catch at this time of year. This moon has also been known as the Green Corn Moon and the Grain Moon.
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