CLEVELAND, Ohio – Look to the sky Wednesday night to see the last super blue moon that will pass overhead for 14 years – one that is expected to appear larger and more brilliant than any other full moon this year.
A full moon occurs when the Earth is positioned between the moon and the sun. The moon gets its “super” prefix if it reaches its closest point to Earth – its peak for brilliance and apparent size -- less than 10 hours after its orbit reaches perigee.
This moon also is called a blue moon, the term coined for the second full moon in a month. The last super blue moon occurred in 2018. It won’t happen again until 2037.
Previously:
Rare super blue moon will light up sky this week: How to see it
Wednesday’s super blue moon could intensify flooding from Hurricane Idalia by making tides higher
Moonrise on Wednesday is expected at about 7:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, according to In The Sky. It will reach full moon -- 180-degree separation from the sun -- about 9:46 p.m., according to NASA. At that point it will be at its biggest and brightest, Scientific America reported.
Wednesday’s moonrise will have a companion in the southeastern sky. Saturn will be visible about 5 degrees from the moon.
Saturn should be visible just by looking up, but binoculars or a telescope will help viewers make out some of the planet’s distinguishing features.
Taking pictures of the brilliant moon can be tricky, especially with your smartphone, which will try to set the exposure based on the entire sky. Check out this video from David Petkiewicz of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer for some tips on getting good smart phone pictures.
Of course, the trickiest part of taking good pictures is one that is completely out of our control – will the weather cooperate, or will Greater Cleveland be clouded over, obscuring views of the moon?