A Rare Blue Super Blue Moon Is Happening Tonight

A cosmic event that usually happens only about every 10 years will light up the sky on Monday night.

A blue supermoon, a celestial occurrence that features both a supermoon (when the moon is closest to the Earth) and a blue moon (the third of four full moons in a single cycle), will be on view, but don’t expect it to look blue, according to NASA.

“I personally can’t tell the difference between a supermoon and a regular moon,” Fred Espenak, a scientist emeritus for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, told NPR. “And I’ve been looking at the moon all my life.”

As for when the rare experience will begin to be visible, the space agency said the exact date depends on your time zone.

“The full Moon will be Monday afternoon, August 19, 2024, at 2:26 PM EDT,” NASA added. “This will be Tuesday morning from Nepal Standard Time eastward across the rest of Asia and Australia to the International Date Line.”

The moon will appear full for three days, through the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 21.

While the occurrence usually happens about every decade, there was a blue supermoon last August as well.

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Blue moons are rare occurrences that occur every two and a half years on average. The previous blue moon occurred in October 2020.

But three more supermoons, which will appear brighter and larger than other full moons, are slated for this year, according to USA Today.

Next month’s supermoon will be on Sept. 18, while others will occur on Oct. 17 and Nov. 15.

NASA predicts the next chance for a blue supermoon will be in quite some time: January 2037.