Rare blue supermoon brightens the night sky, but could exacerbate flooding in US

By AP 30 August 2023, 7:35 pm

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A peacock sits on a chimney as nearly a full moon rises behind in Hyderabad, India, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. August 30 will see the month's second supermoon, when a full moon appears a little bigger and brighter thanks to its slightly closer position to Earth. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

A rare blue supermoon will brighten the skies across the world this evening, with moonrise over Israel set for 7.05 p.m.

Those gazing upwards will have an additional treat, with Saturn peeking from behind.

This is the second full moon of the month, the reason it’s considered blue. It’s dubbed a supermoon because it’s closer to Earth than usual, appearing especially big and bright.

This will be the closest full moon of the year, just 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) or so away. That’s more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) closer than the Aug. 1 supermoon.

As a bonus, Saturn will be visible as a bright point 5 degrees to the upper right of the moon at sunset in the east-southeastern sky, according to NASA. The ringed planet will appear to circle clockwise around the moon as the night wears on.

If you missed the month’s first spectacle, better catch this one. There won’t be another blue supermoon until 2037, according to Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project.

View of the supermoon over Jerusalem. August 01, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)

While most will enjoy the spectacle, there is also fear that in the US the supermoon could raise tides above normal just as Hurricane Idalia lashes Florida’s west coast, exacerbating flooding from the storm.

While a supermoon can make for a spectacular backdrop in photos of landmarks around the world, its intensified gravitational pull also makes tides higher.

“I would say the timing is pretty bad for this one,” said Brian Haines, the meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service office in Charleston, South Carolina.