Stargazers around the world looked to the skies Monday night to catch a rare celestial collision — a super moon joining up with a blue moon.
Not only did Monday’s full moon land at just about the same time as the moon was at its closest point to earth in orbit, but it was also the third full moon in a season that will see four.
Those two factors combined made the moon both super and blue.
“None of these, by the way, are true astronomical terms,” explains Paul Delaney, a long-time astronomer and professor emeritus at York University.
“They sort of have grown up organically and have now become part of modern culture and astronomy has embraced them.”
A blue moon could either be a second full moon in a calendar month, or a third full moon in a season that will have four full moons — as is the case this time.
Though the moon peaked on Monday, it will still appear about the same around the world Tuesday — nearly 98 per cent full.
Delaney said the moon will appear just a little bit bigger — because it’s just a little bit closer — than it would normally. It’s about ten per cent bigger than usual, hardly perceptible to the human eye.
“Last night, as the moon was rising there, as the sun was setting, it looked gorgeous right there, hanging on the horizon,” he said. “But could you tell that it was brighter? No, but you know intellectually it was.”
Viewers don’t need any equipment or to pay any price to sit and watch the moon rise, Delaney notes. That helped thousands of people around the world turn their eyes up to the skies last night and find a bit of emotion and connection.
“Everybody likes the moon. You can see detail with the unaided eye and easily with binoculars. It’s a fan favourite. Poetry has been written about, stories, murder, mysteries, I mean, you name it. Everybody has got a story about the moon,” he said.
“The universe is full of majesty, it’s full of wonder and it’s free to observe.”
See some photos of the super blue moon captured around the world in the gallery below.