A rare blue moon and four planets will shine together in the night sky this weekend – the final instance of such an event until 2028, forecaster AccuWeather says.
The moon will rise on Saturday night and be visible through Sunday morning throughout the country, peaking at 4:45 a.m. EDT.
Skywatchers may also be able to catch a glimpse of Mars, Saturn, Venus and Jupiter, if they’re lucky.
While some of the planets have been seen near the moon this month, the blue moon is what makes this event so rare.
A blue moon – which sadly is not actually blue-colored – rises only every two or three years.
Why so blue?
This type of moon earns its special name because of its remarkable timing.
The blue moon is the second of two full moons a month or the third of three full moons in a season with four, according to NASA. This blue moon follows the May 1 flower moon.
“The moon’s cycle is 29.5 days, so just a bit shorter than the average length of a calendar month. Eventually that gap results in a full moon happening at the beginning of a month with enough days still remaining for another full cycle ― so a second full moon in the same month,” the space agency explained.
That can mean a full moon on the first or second day of the month is followed by a second full moon on the 30th or 31st day.
To make matters even more complex, there’s also a seasonal blue moon.
A seasonal blue moon occurs when there are four full moons in a single season, instead of the usual three. The third of those moons is a blue moon.
“This definition is older and comes from traditional almanac usage,” says Seth McGowan, president of the Adirondack Sky Center in Tupper Lake, New York, told National Geographic.
The next seasonal blue moon will take place on May 20, 2027, and the next blue moon will rise in December 2028, according to Time and Date.
The last blue moon was in August 2023, AccuWeather notes. It was a supermoon, a full moon at its closest distance to Earth during its orbit. August 2024 saw a seasonal blue supermoon.
But can the moon ever actually look blue?
It’s possible! Particles in the air from smoke or dust can scatter away red wavelengths of light, causing the moon to appear blue.
Size matters
Still, the blue moon isn’t the only interesting part of this weekend’s celestial spectacle.
For one, this blue moon and the flower moon are what are known as micromoons. A micromoon occurs when the moon is at its farthest distance from Earth during the month, appearing to be smaller than usual when we see it from Earth.
June’s full strawberry moon will also be a micromoon.
Venus and Jupiter can be seen in the western sky about an hour after sunset, as they inch close together. The best time to see them is 30-45 minutes after sunset, FOX Weather says.
Make sure to stay away from light pollution and use a telescope or a camera for a closer look.
Early risers may be able to catch a glimpse of Mars and Saturn in the eastern sky, too. You should get up around 45-60 minutes before sunrise to spot them.
