There’s a full moon coming, and we’re so excited because not only will the moon be full for the first time this month, it’s also going to be truly massive! Sky-gazers can expect to see a huge supermoon hanging over the skyline on August 19th!
In modern days, we often call the second full moon in a month a ‘Blue Moon.’ (You might be thinking that’s where the saying ‘once in a blue moon’ comes from… but it’s actually not! Here’s how it actually got started…) but this isn’t the second full moon of August. It’s the first. That’s why it is important to know that this “rule” for deeming a moon “blue” or not is actually a misinterpretation of the original Farmer’s Almanac, which stated that a Blue Moon was something else entirely.
So then, why is the first full moon of August called the Blue Moon?
It’s a pretty complicated story that comes down to a few oversights and omissions in the 1930s and 40s (you can read all about the story on Space.com here). And since this summer season will have four full moons instead of the usual three, much like in 1937, when this little blip-misconception began, one of the moons (the third of the season) is considered a “Blue Moon.” Basically, as Space.com says, “For the Blue Moon date of August 21, 1937 — as is the case in August 2024 — was most definitely not the second full moon that month!”
Wait… so what is a blue moon? Let us break it down for you:
Like we said, there are usually three full moons in a season. They’re broken down like this for the summer: an Early Summer Moon, a Midsummer Moon and a Late Summer Moon. But since there are four full moons this season, we need to add one. Just like in 1937, that extra full moon needs a name. Hence–the Blue Moon. We call the 3rd full moon of the season the blue moon, instead of the last one, so that the last full moon of the summer can still be called the Late Summer Moon.
Here are this summer’s full moons:
- June 21 Early Summer Moon
- July 21 Midsummer Moon
- Aug. 19 Blue Moon
- Sep. 17 Late Summer Moon
So in long form, this is a super interested supermoon with a ton of history and lore behind it. But in short, the moon is going to be massive, and you definitely don’t want to miss it!
This massive supermoon will come right after the peak of the magical Perseid Meteor Shower!