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 or so.
The “Blue Supermoon” rises over the Apollo Temple in ancient Corinth Wednesday evening.AFP via Getty Images Spectators at the Kansas City Royals-Pittsburgh Pirates game view the moon from the upper deck of Kauffman Stadium on August 30, 2023.AP The “Blue Supermoon” rises behind “The Victor” landmark monument in Belgrade, Serbia Wednesday.AFP via Getty Images People view the rare Blue Supermoon from Chicago’s 31st Street beach on Wednesday.AP The Salesforce Tower and the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco stand in front of the moon on Wednesday evening.AP The moon shines above Arthur Ashe Stadium during the second round of the US Open tennis championship Wednesday night.AP The Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC sits on a cloudy evening during the blue supermoon.Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/Shutterstock The “Blue Supermoon” is partially covered by clouds as it rises in Havanna, Cuba on August 30.AFP via Getty Images The full blue moon rises behind the Royal Liver Building and the Liver Bird statues in Liverpool, United Kingdom Wednesday night.Getty Images An unmanned aerial craft flies “across” the Supermoon during a demonstration flight during the first day of the Teknofest technology and aerospace festival in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesday.AP The Strat Hotel and Casino sits below the Super Blue Moon Wednesday night in Las Vegas, Nevada.ZUMAPRESS.com
The Aug. 1 supermoon was more than 100 miles 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.
