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- Blue micromoon makes rare appearance this weekend (cbsnews.com)
A rare celestial event is set to light up the skies this weekend as a blue micromoon makes its appearance-a phenomenon that won’t be seen again until the end of 2028.
The blue micromoon is a unique full moon that is both the smallest and most distant of the year. It earns the “blue” label not from its color, which will remain the usual moonlit white, but because it is the second full moon to occur in a single calendar month-a relatively uncommon event happening every two to three years.
For observers in the Northern Hemisphere, the blue micromoon will be visible near the bright star Antares, nestled in the constellation Scorpius. The viewing experience promises to be especially captivating for those in the Southern Hemisphere and across the Pacific, where the moon will temporarily pass in front of Antares, briefly obscuring the star. Antares, known as the “heart of the scorpion,” is a red supergiant located about 550 light-years from Earth.
This full moon will be a micromoon because it is at the farthest point in its elliptical orbit around Earth, approximately 252,360 miles away. This distance makes the moon appear about 6% smaller and 10% dimmer than an average full moon, contrasting with a supermoon, which looks larger and brighter when it is closer-like the recent supermoon observed at about 225,130 miles from Earth.
Skywatchers eager to catch a glimpse may need to look carefully, as the subtle size and brightness differences might go unnoticed by casual observers. To assist, the Virtual Telescope Project will provide live streaming of the blue micromoon through robotic telescopes.
While viewers in the Southern Hemisphere-including parts of Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, eastern Australia, and Antarctica-will witness the moon’s brief eclipse of Antares, those elsewhere will see the star shining steadily alongside the glowing lunar disk.
Mark your calendars for this rare lunar event-an extraordinary opportunity to witness a blue micromoon that won’t grace our skies again for several years.
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- Blue micromoon makes rare appearance this weekend (cbsnews.com)