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The Night Sky This Week: August 28-September 3, 2023
“Once in a blue moon” is this week! Although it’s just a name (no, the moon will not look blue!), this week sees August’s second full moon—one definition of the phrase. It happens every 2.7 years, so it’s not rare, though this year it’s worth seeing for two reasons:
A full moon as it appears on the horizon looking orange is always a drop-dead gorgeous sight.
Saturn at its biggest, brightest and best will shine alongside the “Super Blue Moon.”
These are two reasons to get outside looking up this week—but there are many others:
Monday, August 28: Uranus Retrograde
From today through January 27, 2024, Uranus will be in a period of apparent retrograde motion while in the constellation Taurus—appearing to go backwards in the sky. Earth orbits the sun much faster than the outer planets, so occasionally overtakes them. They then appear to be moving backwards for a short time—much like if you overtake a vehicle on the highway.
Since Uranus takes 84 years to orbit the sun its “backwards” phase appears to last many months. It’s all and only a matter of perspective and has no significance to humans.
Wednesday, August 30: A ‘Super Blue Moon’ Rises Close To Saturn
The third and final full moon of summer in the northern hemisphere will be a “Super Blue Moon” because it’s the second full moon in a calendar month, something that is bound to happen every few years because the moon takes 29 days to orbit the Earth.
It’s also the closest full moon to Earth in 2023—so the year’s best “supermoon.” It will turn full while 357,344 km from Earth and be the biggest, brightest full Moon of the year.
It will look its best at moonrise on two successive evenings, Wednesday, August 30 and Thursday, August 31. Look out for Saturn, which will be just 2.5º from the full moon as it rises.
Rose Rambles... 