A rare blue supermoon — the closest full moon of the year — dazzled stargazers Wednesday night.
Saturn joined the celestial spectacle, visible alongside the moon, at least where skies were clear.
It was the second full moon of August, thus the blue label. And it was unusually close to Earth, therefore a supermoon.
The moon appeared to be bigger and brighter than usual, given its close proximity to Earth: just 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) or so. The Aug. 1 supermoon was more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) farther away.
If you missed it, it will be a long wait: The next blue supermoon isn’t until 2037. But another regular supermoon is on the horizon at the end of September, the last one of the year.
Photo:
AFP
The ‘Blue Moon’ rises over Doha city on August 30, 2023.
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Getty Images
A full blue moon rises behind the Royal Liver Building and the Liver Bird statues on August 30, 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Photo:
AFP
The “Blue Supermoon”, the second full moon of a calendar month, rises above the Apollo Temple in ancient Corinth, on August 30, 2023.
Photo:
Reuters
A full moon known as the “Blue Moon” rises behind the Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkey on August 30, 2023.
Photo:
Reuters
A full moon known as the “Blue Moon” rises behind the Temple of Poseidon, in Cape Sounion, near Athens, Greece, on August 30, 2023.
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AFP
A picture taken from the Israeli city of Rosh Haain shows the ‘Blue Moon’ rising over the West Bank, on August 30, 2023.
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PTI
The Super Blue Moon as seen in the sky above the India Gate, in New Delhi, on August 30, 2023.
Photo:
AP
The Super Blue Moon is visible over the stands as the teams walk off, after the first IT20 cricket match between England and New Zealand, at the Seat Unique Riverside, in County Durham, England, on August 30, 2023.