It's the night of the Super Blue Moon, here's what you can really see

Starting from 8.26pm this evening, the Supermoon will be triggered, a particular condition that will make the Moon appear a little bigger and brighter than usual.Will it be blue?No, it's just a traditional English term

(Photo @GianlucaMasi)

BOLOGNA – Just a few hours left until 'Blue' supermoon of August 19th, the first of the four supermoons of this 2024 (the next ones will be September 18th, October 17th and November 15th).Tonight's will be the third full Moon (of four) that occurs in the current season, a circumstance which in Anglo-Saxon tradition is referred to as 'Blue' Moon, signifying a relatively rare event.Normally, in fact, one season hosts only three full moons, but sometimes (since the cycle lasts 29 and a half days) there is room for a fourth.Like tonight:when it happens, the third full Moon of the four is called 'Blue Moon' in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, so much so that there is also the saying "Once in a Blue Moon“, or “once every full Moon”).The previous Moon that presented these conditions (and therefore 'blue') occurred in 2021, the next one will be in 2027.

THE STURGEON MOON

 Tonight's full moon has been renamed also Sturgeon Moon (Sturgeon Moon) according to Native American tradition named after the fish - sturgeons precisely - found in the large lakes of North America which at this time of year are more numerous than ever and which can grow to over two metres.

WHAT WE WILL SEE IN THE SKY

But what should we expect in practice? A moon a little closer, brighter and a little bigger than usual.6%, experts say.This is because the fact that the moon being full coincides with the 'perigee', that is to say the moment the moon is at its closest to Earth (360,198 kilometers from us, against an average distance of just over 384,000 kilometers) makes it appear larger.It is precisely the proximity to the earth that is the sine qua non of tonight's event, which in fact is technically called Full moon at perigee.The definition of 'supermoon', as well as the nickname 'blue', fascinating in themselves, actually have no scientific basis.For those who don't want to pose too many problems, just know that the Moon will appear to us in a particular way and perhaps brighter than usual.

WHEN TO SEE THE SUPERMOON

The phenomenon of the 'Supermoon' can be observed this evening August 19th (at different times depending on the city, but in any case starting from approximately 8.26pm).But given that the perigee will only occur at 7.05 on Wednesday, the Supermoon should still be visible well also tomorrow evening, Tuesday 20 August.

WHAT YOU CAN REALLY SEE

“The 'Supermoon' will appear approximately 6% larger and a little brighter than average, but only an expert observer could, perhaps, realize this”, warns Gianluca Masi, astrophysicist and scientific director of the Virtual Telescope Project.“These are far from sensational variations, which nevertheless add charm to the event, a precious opportunity to admire our natural satellite in the context of the night sky, an increasingly neglected and forgotten landscape”.The spectacle of the full moon, even more so that of the 'Supermoon', is maximum at its rising, or at the setting of the Sun, or at dawn.This evening the Supermoon "will be a guest of the stars of Aquarius, a constellation located in the southern half of the Zodiac".

LIVE FROM THE VIRTUAL TELESCOPE

The Virtual Telescope, thanks to its mobile instruments, will image the "Blue Supermoon" while
rises on the Tyrrhenian Sea, sharing its vision, as always, with the curious from all over the world
world.The commentary on the event will be by astrophysicist Gianluca Masi.To see it, just log on from 9.30pm to the Virtual Telescope Project website: https://www.virtualtelescope.eu.