This Article is From Aug 30, 2023

August's Second Supermoon To Light Up Night Sky Today Along With Saturn

Saturn will appear to move clockwise around the moon over the course of the day.

The August 30 supermoon will be second for the month of August.

The month of August will end with a bright supermoon that will also lead to a rare celestial event - a blue moon when two supermoons occur in the same month). According to American space agency NASA, a supermoon is a perigean moon that occurs near or at the time when the moon is at its closest point in its orbit around earth. The term was coined by an astrologer in 1979. Interestingly, ringed planet Saturn will also make its closest and brightest appearance of the year near the moon.

Also Read | "Once In A Blue Moon" To Occur Today. Here's How To See It

At the end of the evening twilight, Saturn will appear about 5 degrees to the upper right side of the moon, said CNN. The planet will be visible around 8.42pm ET on Wednesday (6.12am IST on Thursday).

Saturn will appear to move clockwise around the moon over the course of the day.

The outlet further said that Saturn reached opposition on August 27, when Earth moved between it and the Sun. This caused Saturn to reach its closest point to Earth, making it visible in our night sky.

The full moon on August 30 (August 31 for India) will be 357,344 kilometres away from Earth, nearly 28,968 kilometres closer than its average distance.

The moon's proximity to Earth will also play a role in Hurricane Idalia, which is expected to make landfall on Wednesday evening (local time) in Florida. Since the moon will be close, it is expected to worsen the storm surge and enhance the tides.

This will happen because the moon's gravity will have a stronger effect on the oceans. The moon's closeness could increase high tide by around a foot, according to National Hurricane Centre in the US.

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