How you can see rare blue supermoon that will be visible tonight
Kya Buller
Featured Image Credit: Davide Pischettola/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The moon-lovers amongst us are in for a real treat tonight, with an extra special supermoon set to be visible in the sky.
If you're yet to acquaint yourself with the beauty of supermoons - they occur when a full Moon is in the closest proximity to the Earth. As a result, they seem bigger and brighter than they usually do.
The BBC reports that they are 'up to 15 percent brighter and 30 percent bigger than regular full Moons'.
The supermoon in question will be spottable in the sky for three days - and it's going to be a sight to behold as it's a blue supermoon - also known as a Sturgeon Moon, as coined by Native Americans.
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This is because sturgeon fish have historically been caught in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain at this time of year.
A blue moon is the third full moon in a season - and has four full moons in total. The awe inspiring occurrence isn't predicted to happen again until at least 2026.
Having clear skies with minimal clouds will help. It is preferable to stay away from buildings and street lights in order to view the moon most clearly.
The best bit is that the moon will be visible without any specialist equipment, but if you feel like investing in a pair of binoculars, it will enhance your experience.
The clue is in the name after all, as you've probably heard the phrase 'once in a blue moon'.
There are a couple of ways to define a blue moon - both of which illustrate how rare they are.
The first one is the kind of blue moon that will be visible tonight - a third full moon in a season which has four full moons.
Yet, it also refers to the rare event that happens every two to three years.
The BBC adds: "It takes a year for the Earth to orbit the Sun once and the Moon takes 29.5 days to complete one cycle around the Earth.
"This means that 12 full cycles of the Moon around the Earth takes 354 days. That's less than the 365 days (or 366 days during a leap year) in our calendar year.
"As the time frames don't quite match up, every two to three years we end up getting a 13th full moon, with two full months seen in a single month. A Blue Moon is the rarer second full Moon in this month."
The astrological event is sure to be incredible viewing - so don't miss out.