August is turning out to be a great time to keep your eyes on the night sky.
If you missed the first Supermoon Tuesday, you’re in luck because a blue Supermoon will appear late this month, and even before that, a meteor shower is worth watching.
“So, we just had a big bright Supermoon, and that Supermoon isn’t the only full moon this month,” said Worthy Hobservatory, Observatory Director Grant Tandy. “Close to the end of the month, we are going to have a Super Blue Moon and a Super Blue Moon, a blue moon, in general, is two moons that coincide in one month. So, it doesn’t happen all that often. That is why people say I haven’t seen you in a blue moon.”
Tandy says Supermoons look bigger than the average moon.
It is approximately 220,000 miles away, compared to the usual 250,000-240,000 miles away from us.
About eight percent larger.
“To see the moon, you should expect to catch it rising just at sunset,” said Tandy. “So, as the sun is setting, the moon is rising, and that is why it is full because it is opposite the sun. So, it is being fully illuminated. So, you want to go to Pilot Butte or a nice vantage point and look off to the Eastern horizon, and you can watch that big bright moon rise through the haze.”
This month, the stunning solar sight is not the only show in the sky.
Around August 12th and 13th is a popular meteor shower.
“The Perseid meteor shower is a cool one because it is debris from the comet, Swift Tuttle,” Tandy said. “So this comet left this debris through the solar system, and every year at the same time, we pass through that debris field, and that is when you see all the meteors pulled into our atmosphere.”
During the meteor shower, the skies will be dark because it’ll hit between the two Supermoons of the month.
You should be able to spot about 60 meteors an hour.
Dandy also suggests downloading a star map app, like the app Stellarium.
If you want to go to the observatory at Worthy Brewing, it is open Wednesday-Saturday, starting at 9 p.m.
