The next full moon will rise on Wednesday, Aug. 30, and it will be one of the brightest and largest moons of 2023.

The term “Blue Moon” has nothing to do with color, but since the 1940s has commonly referred to the second of two full moons that fall in a calendar month; thus, Wednesday’s full moon is defined as a Blue Moon because it is the second full moon of August. Just like August’s first full moon, the Sturgeon Moon on Aug. 1, the Blue Moon will also be a supermoon, meaning it will occur during a period when the moon is closer to the Earth, making it appear almost imperceptibly larger in the sky.

According to In the Sky, the Super Blue Moon will rise just after sunset at 7:10 p.m. EDT (2310 GMT) on Wednesday from the eastern horizon. This will not be when it is at its biggest and brightest, however. The exact moment of full moon is defined as the point at which it is 180 degrees from the sun, completely opposite our star in the sky over Earth.

For this year’s Blue Moon, the moon will be opposite the sun at 9:36 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Aug. 30 (0336 on Aug. 31), according to NASA. At this time, it will be in the constellation of Aquarius. The Blue Moon will then set on Thursday just before the sun rises at around 6:46 a.m. EDT (1046 GMT).

source space.com