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The Brief

The most important stories for you to know today
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  • Climate and Environment
    Super Blue Moon Rising
    Don't miss it. There won't be another until 2037
    By  Jacob Margolis
    Published August 29, 2023 2:40 PM

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    An orange moon rising over a bunch of buildings in downtown Los Angeles.
    The last time we saw a super blue moon in January 2018, there was also a lunar eclipse. An event so rare that it'd been over 150 years since the last one.
    (
    Nick Ut/Getty Images
    /
    Getty Images
    )

    Topline:

    A super blue moon will rise into the night sky for the first time in five years on Wednesday night. It's an uncommon phenomenon — the last one was five years ago.

    What is it?: A combination of a supermoon — when the moon’s both full and at its closest point to Earth — and a blue moon. You’ll have to wait 14 years to see the next one.

    What will it do? Impact tides around the world.

    A super blue moon will rise into the sky for the first time in more than five years on Wednesday night. If you miss it, you’ll have to wait another 14 years for the next one.

    A combination of a supermoon and a blue moon, the celestial event doesn’t occur all that often, so it’s worth checking out if you have the opportunity.

    What is a super blue moon?

    It’s when both a supermoon and a blue moon happen at the same time.

    A blue moon refers to the second full moon that occurs in the same month as another. Our last full moon was on Aug. 1. Sadly, they aren’t actually blue.

    A supermoon is when the moon is both full in the sky and at or near its closest point to Earth — its perigee — about 226,000 miles away. While the moon reaches perigee every 28 days or so, supermoons only occur about three to four times a year.

    The last super blue moon was in January 2018, and the next one will be in January 2037.

    Will the moon look different?

    You may notice a bit of a difference, but likely not much.

    The full moon will be approximately 30% brighter and 14% larger than a full moon at its farthest point from Earth (apogee), according to NASA. It’ll be roughly 7% bigger than a normal full moon.

    What effect will the super blue moon have on Earth?

    The moon exerts some of its strongest influence on the Earth’s tides when it’s both full and at perigee, which is what we’re seeing this week.

    A diagram of the sun and the moon surrounding Earth.
    The sun and the moon both exert gravitational pull, which impacts tides around the Earth.
    (
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
    )

    The phenomenon is called a perigean spring tide, and it results in greater-than-average high and low tides around the world. It can exacerbate coastal flooding depending on the location.

    Tides in Santa Monica will reach their highest point since early August, according to NOAA.

    What’s the best way to see the super blue moon?

    Really, you just have to look to the sky around moonrise on Wednesday, which is at 7:36 p.m.

    That said, when it comes to viewing astronomical events, you’ll usually have a better viewing experience if you go to the darkest spot possible. The good news is there are a number of places within an hour of L.A. that get pretty dark, including locations in the San Gabriel and the Santa Monica mountains.

    Binoculars and a telescope will help enhance the experience.
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