The Moon of August 30-31, 2023, is a complete moon, a supermoon, and lastly a blue moon. Youll hear it referred to as a super blue moon as an outcome. Keep in mind that a “Blue Moon” has absolutely nothing to do with its color. Professional photographers typically use filters and other methods to catch lovely pictures of the moon in blue or other colors.
The Next Full Moon is a Supermoon, a Blue Moon, and Rakhi Purnima.
As evening twilight ends (at 8:42 p.m.) Saturn will be 5 degrees to the upper right of the Moon, and will appear to swing clockwise around the Moon as the night progresses. The Moon will appear complete for 3 days around the peak of the complete Moon, from Tuesday night to Friday early morning.
This will be a supermoon. Publications utilize different limits for deciding which Moons certify as “super,” however all concur that in 2023 the 2 complete Moons in August certify.
Have questions? See the Super Blue Moon FAQ.
The older meaning of Blue Moon, dating back to at least the 1500s, is the name for the 3rd full Moon in a season that has 4 Moons. By this definition, the full Moon in August 2024 will be the Blue Moon and this complete Moon, as the last full Moon of summer, shares some of the seasonal names from my posting for the August 1 complete Moon.
A moon rises over an active caldera in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Credit: National Park Service/Janice Wei
This moon refers the Hindu festival Raksha Bandhan, also called Rakhi or Rakhi Purnima, commemorating the bond in between siblings and siblings. One of the traditions is for siblings of all ages to connect a rakhi (a cotton bracelet) around their brothers wrist, getting a present from the sibling in return, as a sign of the continuing bond between them. The term “Raksha Bandhan” equates as “the bond of security, care, or obligation.”
In numerous traditional lunisolar and lunar calendars the moons fall near the middle of the lunar months. This moon remains in the middle of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, Safar in the Islamic calendar, and Elul in the Hebrew calendar. Elul is a time of preparation for the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Customizeds include giving and asking others for forgiveness along with starting or ending all letters with the dream that the recipient will have a good year.
As usual, the using of appropriately celebratory celestial attire is motivated in honor of the moon. Look after your siblings, let go of animosities, and heres wanting you an excellent year!
As for other celestial events between now and the moon after next (with specific times and angles based upon the place of NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC):.
As summertime ends and fall begins, the everyday durations of sunshine continue to reduce, changing at their fastest around the autumnal equinox.
On Wednesday, August 30, 2023 (the day of the full Moon), morning twilight will begin at 5:35 a.m. EDT, daybreak will be at 6:35 a.m., solar midday will be at 1:09 p.m. when the Sun will reach its maximum elevation of 60.0 degrees, sundown will be at 7:42 p.m., and night twilight will end at 8:42 p.m. The fall equinox will be on Saturday, September 23, with sunrise at 6:57 a.m. and sundown at 7:04 p.m. By Friday, September 29 (the day of the full Moon after next), morning golden will begin at 6:04 a.m., sunrise will be at 7:02 a.m., solar midday will be at 12:58 p.m. when the Sun will reach its maximum elevation of 48.6 degrees, sunset will be at 6:54 p.m., and evening golden will end at 7:52 p.m.
No significant meteor showers are forecasted to peak during this lunar cycle. Three small showers will peak at 6 or fewer noticeable meteors per hour under ideal conditions (efficiently not visible from our vibrantly lit city environments).
Evening Sky Highlights:.
On the night of Wednesday, August 30, 2023 (the night of the full Moon), as night twilight ends (at 8:42 p.m. EDT), the rising Moon will be 8 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon with the world Saturn 5 degrees to the upper right. The world Mars will be setting on the western horizon. The intense star appearing closest to overhead will be Vega at 85 degrees above the eastern horizon. Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra the lyre, is among the three intense stars in the Summer Triangle (together with Deneb and Altair). Vega is the 5th brightest star in our night sky, about 25 light-years from Earth, has twice the mass of our Sun, and shines 40 times brighter than our Sun.
As this lunar cycle progresses, the background of stars and the planet Saturn will appear to move westward each night (as the Earth walks around the Sun), while the world Mars will shift more gradually on the western horizon. After September 1 Mars will be below the horizon as evening twilight ends. The waxing Moon will go by Spica on September 17 (hard to view as they will set quickly after night golden ends), Antares on September 20, and Saturn on September 26.
By the night of Thursday, September 28 (the start of the night of the complete Moon after next), as evening golden ends (at 7:53 p.m. EDT), the rising Moon will be 12 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon. The planet Saturn will be 23 degrees above the southeastern horizon. The brilliant star appearing closest to overhead still will be Vega at 83 degrees above the western horizon.
Early Morning Sky Highlights:.
On the morning of Thursday, August 31, 2023 (the morning of the night of the complete Moon), as early morning twilight starts (at 5:36 a.m. EDT), the setting Moon will be 14 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon. The world Saturn will be to the lower right of the Moon at 7 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon.
As this lunar cycle progresses, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and the background of stars will appear to move westward each evening. September 8 will be the last morning Saturn will remain in the sky as morning twilight begins. Beginning September 14, Mercury will rise before morning twilight begins, joining Venus and Saturn. Initially, Mercury will be challenging to see however will brighten quickly each morning. When Venus is near its brightest it can be seen in the daytime), Venus will reach its biggest brilliancy on September 19 (. Mercury will reach its greatest angular separation from the Sun on September 22 and will appear at its highest above the horizon as morning golden starts the next early morning, September 23. The waning Moon will pass near Jupiter on September 4, Pollux on September 10, Venus on September 11 and 12, and Regulus on September 13.
On the morning of Friday, September 29, (the morning of the moon after next), as morning twilight starts (at 6:04 a.m. EDT), the setting complete Moon will be 11 degrees above the western horizon. The 3 visible planets will be Venus (the brightest) at 29 degrees above the eastern horizon, Jupiter at 48 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon, and Mercury (the faintest) at 4 degrees above the eastern horizon. The bright star appearing closest to overhead will be Capella at 83 degrees above the north-northwestern horizon). Capella is the brightest star in the constellation Auriga the charioteer. Although we see Capella as a single star (the 6th brightest in our night sky), it is actually 4 stars (2 sets of stars orbiting each other). Capella has to do with 43 lightyears from us.
Comprehensive Daily Guide:.
Here for your referral is a day-by-day listing of celestial occasions between now and the moon after next. The angles and times are based upon the area of NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, and a few of these information might vary for your location (I utilize parentheses to show times specific to the DC area).
On Thursday night, August 24, 2023, the bright star Antares will appear near the half-full Moon, so close that for much of Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico the Moon will pass in front of Antares. For the Washington, DC location, as night twilight ends (at 8:52 p.m. EDT), Antares will be a degree to the left of the Moon. Antares will disappear behind the dark side of the Moon about an hour later (at 10:53 p.m.). Antares will reappear from the bottom of the Moon about 45 minutes after that (around 11:41 p.m.) however the brilliant limb of the Moon will in the beginning mask this reappearance. Antares will set initially on the west-southwestern horizon about 14 minutes later on (at 11:55 p.m.). See this information for details on this occultation for your area.
Saturday morning, August 27, 2023, the world Saturn will be at its closest and brightest for the year, called “opposition” because it will be opposite the Earth from the Sun, efficiently a “complete” Saturn. Saturn will be 10 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon as night golden ends Friday, August 26 (at 8:48 p.m. EDT), will reach its highest in the sky early Saturday morning (at 1:13 a.m.), and will be 11 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon as early morning golden begins (at 5:32 a.m.). Only worlds that orbit further from the Sun than the Earth can be seen at opposition from the Earth.
Wednesday early morning, August 30, 2023, at 11:55 a.m. EDT, the Moon will be at perigee, its closest to the Earth for this orbit.
As night twilight ends (at 8:42 p.m. EDT), the Moon will be 8 degrees above the east-southeastern horizon with Saturn 5 degrees to the upper. Saturn will appear to shift clockwise around the Moon as the night progresses.
As discussed above, the next complete Moon will be Wednesday night, August 30, 2023, appearing opposite the Sun (in Earth-based longitude) at 9:36 p.m. EDT. The Moon will appear complete for 3 days around the time of the moon, from Tuesday night to Friday early morning. This moon will be the 2nd full Moon in August, making it a Blue Moon by the more recent definition presented by Sky & & Telescope magazine in 1946. Because this complete Moon occurs near when the Moon is closest to the Earth (perigee), this will be a supermoon.
Friday night, September 1, 2023, will be the last night that the planet Mars will be above the western horizon as evening twilight ends (at 8:38 p.m. EDT), setting a minute later.
Sunday night into Monday early morning, September 3 to 4, 2023, the planet Jupiter will appear near the subsiding gibbous Moon. As Jupiter increases above the east-northeastern horizon (at 10:16 p.m. EDT) it will be 8 degrees to the lower left of the Moon. The Moon will reach its highest in the sky for the night 6.5 hours later (at 4:45 a.m.) with Jupiter 6 degrees to the left of the Moon. Early morning golden will begin about an hour later on (at 5:40 a.m.).
By Monday night, September 4, 2023, the waning gibbous Moon will have moved to the opposite of Jupiter. As the Moon increases on the east-northeastern horizon (at 10:14 p.m. EDT) Jupiter will be 6 degrees to the right. The pair will separate as the night progresses.
Wednesday early morning, September 6, 2023, the planet Mercury will be passing in between the Earth and the Sun as seen from the Earth, called inferior conjunction. Worlds that orbit within the orbit of Earth can have two types of combinations with the Sun, inferior (when passing between the Earth and the Sun) and exceptional (when handing down the far side of the Sun). Mercury will be shifting from the night sky to the morning sky and will start emerging from the glow of dawn on the eastern horizon in mid-September (relying on seeing conditions).
Wednesday evening, September 6, 2023, the subsiding Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its last quarter at 6:21 p.m. EDT.
Friday early morning, September 8, 2023, will be the last morning that the planet Saturn will be above the horizon as morning golden begins.
Sunday morning, September 10, 2023, the brilliant star Pollux will appear above the waning crescent Moon. As the Moon rises on the northeastern horizon (at 2:10 a.m. EDT) Pollux will be 3 degrees above the Moon. Brilliant Venus will rise on the east-northeastern horizon 2 hours later on (at 4:07 a.m.), appearing about 20 degrees listed below the Moon, with Pollux 4 degrees above the Moon. By the time morning golden starts 1.5 hours after that (at 5:46 a.m.), Pollux will have shifted to 5 degrees above the Moon with Venus 19 degrees listed below the Moon. The bright star Regulus will be 18 degrees to the lower left of Venus.
Monday early morning, September 11, 2023, the thin, waning crescent Moon will have shifted to 12 degrees to the upper left of Venus.
Tuesday morning, September 12, 2023, the thin, subsiding crescent Moon will have moved to 13 degrees to the lower left of Venus, with the bright star Regulus 10 degrees below the Moon.
Tuesday mid-day, September 12, 2023, at 11:43 a.m. EDT, the Moon will be at apogee, its farthest from the Earth for this orbit.
Wednesday morning, September 13, 2023, the intense star Regulus will be 5 degrees to the right of the really thin, waning crescent Moon. The planet Mercury will be 8 degrees to the lower right of the Moon, however will be tough to see, as it will increase a couple of minutes after early morning golden begins and will not be very brilliant (a crescent that is just 11% brightened).
Thursday morning, September 14, 2023, will be the first morning the planet Mercury will be above the horizon as morning twilight begins. It will be challenging to see in the beginning, just 14% lit up, however will lighten up each morning as the Sun lights up more of its Earth-facing surface.
Thursday night, September 14, 2023, at 9:40 p.m. EDT, will be the new Moon, when the Moon passes in between the Earth and the Sun and will not be noticeable from the Earth. The day of or the day after the New Moon marks the start of the brand-new month for numerous lunisolar calendars. The eighth month of the Chinese calendar will start on September 15.
Sundown on Friday, September 15, 2023, will be the start of Rosh Hashanah (the Head of the Year), the two-day Jewish New Year event that will end at sundown on Sunday, September 17. Rosh Hashanah is the first of a series of vacations in Tishrei, the very first month of the Hebrew calendar. The tenth day of Tishrei is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The 10 days from Rosh HashanahâEUR ¯ to Yom Kippur, called theâEUR ¯ Days of Awe, are a time to review the errors and lessons of the past, and to make resolutions for the new year. The fifteenth day of Tishrei (close to the full Moon after next) is the start of the 7-day Sukkot vacation.
In the Islamic calendar, the months traditionally start with the first sighting of the waxing crescent Moon. Lots of Muslim neighborhoods now follow the Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia, which utilizes huge computations to begin months in a more predictable way. Using this calendar, sundown on Friday night, September 15, 2023, will probably mark the beginning of Rabi al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar. Throughout this month some Muslims celebrate Mawlid, the birthday of Muhammad.
Sunday evening, September 17, 2023, if you have a very clear view of the west-southwestern horizon, you might be able to see the intense star Spica 3 degrees to the lower right of the thin, waxing crescent Moon. You would need to look before night golden ends, as when twilight ends (at 8:11 p.m. EDT) Spica will be close to setting and the Moon will be only 2 degrees above the horizon.
Solar midday to solar twelve noon from Monday, September 18, to Tuesday, September 19, 2023, will be the fastest solar day of the year. At 23 hours, 59 minutes, 38.6 seconds long, it will be 21.4 seconds much shorter than the 24 hour typical our modern clocks utilize.
On Tuesday, September 19, 2023, the world Venus will be at its greatest brilliancy for the year, a good price quote of when Venus will be at its brightest. Biggest brilliancy is computed based on the ranges and angles in between the Sun, Venus, and the Earth, making a streamlining assumption on how Venus scatters sunshine.
On Wednesday night, September 20, 2023, the intense star Antares will appear to the upper left of the waxing crescent Moon. Antares will be 5 degrees from the Moon as night golden ends (at 8:06 p.m. EDT). By the time the Moon sets on the west-northwestern horizon less than 2 hours later (at 9:57 p.m.) Antares will be 4 degrees from the Moon. For parts of East Asia the Moon will actually pass in front of Antares, obstructing it from view (see http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota/bstar/0921zc2366.htm for more info).
By Thursday evening, September 21, 2023, as night golden ends, the Moon will have shifted to 8 degrees on the other side of Antares. The pair will separate as the evening progresses.
Friday early morning, September 22, 2023, will be when the world Mercury reaches its biggest angular separation from the Sun as seen from the Earth for this phantom (called biggest elongation). Due to the fact that the angle of the line in between the Sun and Mercury and the horizon changes with the seasons, the date when Mercury and the Sun appear farthest apart as seen from the Earth is not constantly the like when Mercury appears highest above the eastern horizon as morning golden starts, which takes place the next morning, Saturday, September 23.
On Friday afternoon, September 22, 2023, the Moon will appear half-full as it reaches its first quarter at 3:32 p.m. EDT.
Early Saturday morning, September 23, 2023, at 2:50 a.m. EDT, will be the autumnal equinox, the astronomical end of summertime and start of fall. The Sun will be shifting from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere, this year passing across the Earths equator over the Indian Ocean.
On Sunday, September 24, 2023, an objective I dealt with before retiring from NASA, OSIRIS-REx, will provide to Earth a sample from the surface of the asteroid Bennu. NASAs Live protection of the pill landing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. EDT.
Tuesday night into Wednesday early morning, September 26 to 27, 2023, the planet Saturn will appear near the waxing gibbous Moon. Saturn will be 4 degrees to the upper left of the Moon as night twilight ends (at 7:56 p.m. EDT).
Wednesday night, September 27, 2023, at 9:06 p.m. EDT, the Moon will be at perigee, its closest to the Earth for this orbit.
The complete Moon after next will be Friday early morning, September 29, 2023, appearing opposite the Sun (in Earth-based longitude) at 5:58 a.m. EDT. This will be late Thursday night from the time zone of Hawaii and the Cook Islands westward to the International Date Line. The Moon will appear complete for 3 days around this time, from Wednesday evening to Saturday early morning.
The Moon of August 30-31, 2023, is a full moon, a supermoon, and lastly a blue moon. The older definition of Blue Moon, dating back to at least the 1500s, is the name for the third full Moon in a season that has four Moons. By this definition, the complete Moon in August 2024 will be the Blue Moon and this full Moon, as the last full Moon of summer season, shares some of the seasonal names from my posting for the August 1 full Moon. On the morning of Thursday, August 31, 2023 (the early morning of the night of the complete Moon), as early morning twilight begins (at 5:36 a.m. EDT), the setting Moon will be 14 degrees above the west-southwestern horizon. On the morning of Friday, September 29, (the morning of the full Moon after next), as morning twilight starts (at 6:04 a.m. EDT), the setting full Moon will be 11 degrees above the western horizon.
