The first Super Blue Moon of the year 2024 shone over Pakistan at 11:30 PM on August 20.
Astronomer Javed Iqbal said that the Super Blue Moon is a combination of two separate astronomical phenomena. The next three supermoons will occur on September 18, October 17, and November 15. Today's Super Blue Moon is the third blue moon of this season.
According to NASA, the next Super Blue Moon won't occur until January 2037, which is why today's event is particularly special for those interested in astronomical phenomena.
What is a super blue moon?
A super blue moon is simultaneously a full moon, blue moon, and a super moon.
The first of these three is pretty well known to us: a phase in the lunar cycle in which the Earth, sun, and moon are aligned with the Earth in the middle, so the moon is fully illuminated on Earth.
A blue moon is not about the color of the moon, but instead the frequency of the full moon.
There are two definitions of a blue moon—the first describes when there are two full moons in a single month. Since the moon’s cycle is 29.5 days, and our average calendar month is 30-31 days, it is incredibly rare to have two full moons in one single month, but it is possible, happening every two to three years, according to NASA. Around 3% of full moons are blue moons.
