Get ready, stargazers, because this weekend, the night of Sunday, May 31, we’ll be able to see a rare Blue Moon in the sky.
What is a Blue Moon?
Contrary to what the name seems to suggest, and unlike Blood Moons, which have a reddish tinge to them, the word ‘blue’ here doesn’t refer to the moon’s colour. The name comes from the phrase ‘once in a Blue Moon’, because it’s quite a rare astronomical event and so couldn’t be named after the season, like other full moons.
So what’s so special about it? A Blue Moon, is the second full moon to happen in a single month. The moon’s cycle takes around 29 days and, of course most months are longer than that, meaning that our calendar doesn’t align with its orbit. Thus, every 2.7 years, we get a Blue Moon.
This year’s Blue Moon is even more special, as it is also a micro full moon — aka, the opposite of a supermoon — meaning that it’ll be at the furthest point from Earth in its orbit, known as its apogee. While this means that it’ll look a bit smaller and dimmer than usual, the moon is always worth seeing, so here are a few tips on how and when to do so.
When to see the Blue Moon
The Blue Moon will rise on Sunday, May 31 and will be mesmerising all night, and especially any time before 7pm, but its peak will be at 6:45pm.
The next Blue Moon won’t happen until 2028, and a micro Blue Moon won’t come around again for decades, so this is not to be missed!
You can check moonrise and moonset times for Brisbane here.
Where to see the Blue Moon
You should be able to see this extraordinary Moon from almost anywhere but, since it’s smaller, it might be a bit trickier than usual if it’s cloudy and, of course, the further you get from the city, the more you’ll appreciate its glow.
So if you’re looking for the best viewing experience, we recommend heading out to a dark, clear location like the Mt Coot-tha Summit Lookout — although the light pollution coming from the city might still affect your viewing experience — or, if you don’t mind a bit of a longer drive, places like Wild Horse Mountain and Lake Moogerah offer expansive views of the night sky.
When are the next supermoons?
The next Blue Moons may be years away, but we still have this year’s supermoons, which will rise on the following dates, to look forward to:
November 24 — Beaver Moon
December 24 — Cold Moon