A Rare Blue Supermoon To Be Seen In Dubai This Week

Indeed, a great month for stargazers!

We had a Supermoon on Tuesday August 1, a Micro Moon on Wednesday August 16 and the Perseids Meteor Shower on Saturday August 12.

And, as we come to the end of August, there is one more celestial event in store as a Blue Supermoon will make an appearance in the Dubai night sky on Thursday August 31.

A Blue Moon is the name of a second Full Moon in one calendar month, while Supermoons happen when a Full Moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, a point known as perigee.

Just like the Full Moon we saw at the start of the month, Thursday’s Moon will also be a Supermoon. As it’s the second one in August, it qualifies as a Blue Moon, making it a Blue Supermoon.

This is not it, as the upcoming Full Moon will be the brightest Supermoon of 2023 as it will be the closest at 357,181 kilometres from Earth. Prepare to be dazzled.

Supermoons aren’t rare and avid stargazers will know that we usually get three or four per year but Blue Moons aren’t as common with only one in about 33 Moons making the cut.

That makes the chances of a Blue Supermoon extremely rare, usually occurring every 10 to 20 years.

The next one will rise in 2037, according to NASA.

It’s not only the third Supermoon of the year but also the closest. At a mere 222,043 miles (357,181 kilometres) from Earth.

The final Supermoon of the year will take place on Friday September 29.