A rare super blue moon will shine above new jersey this week

A Rare Super Blue Moon Will Shine Above New Jersey This Week

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1 min read
August 28, 2023

TOMS RIVER, NJ – If you want to see a rare lunar event, you might want to check the skies over New Jersey Wednesday night. A rare super blue moon event will be visible. It will be the last time you can see the spectacle until 2037.

The upcoming full Moon on Wednesday, August 30, is noteworthy for several reasons.

It will be a supermoon, meaning that the Moon will be at its closest point to Earth in its orbit, making it appear somewhat brighter and about 14% larger than when it is at its farthest point. The size difference may not be hugely noticeable to the naked eye but can be appreciated through telescopic observation.

This full Moon will also be a Blue Moon, according to the modern definition of the term, which signifies the second full moon in a single calendar month. Blue Moons occur every two to three years due to the slight misalignment between the lunar cycle (29.5 days) and the average length of calendar months.

In addition to being a Blue Moon and a supermoon, this full Moon will have the planet Saturn in close proximity. Saturn will be just a few days away from its closest and brightest appearance for the year. As evening twilight ends, Saturn will be positioned 5 degrees to the upper right of the Moon and will appear to move in a clockwise direction around the Moon throughout the night.

Despite the name, the Moon will not actually appear blue. The term “Blue Moon” is not related to the Moon’s color but rather to its frequency. On very rare occasions, the Moon can appear blue due to atmospheric conditions like smoke or dust, which scatter away the red wavelengths of light, but this is not related to the phenomenon known as a Blue Moon.

The term Blue Moon has two commonly used definitions. The newer one, coined by Sky & Telescope magazine in 1946, is the second full moon in a calendar month. The older definition, which dates back to the 1500s, refers to the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. By the older definition, the next Blue Moon will occur in August 2024. This upcoming full Moon does not meet that criterion but is still of interest due to its status as both a supermoon and a Blue Moon by the modern definition.

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

Readers can submit story tips, corrections, public records, or media inquiries through the official Shore News Network website or its verified social media channels. Shore News Network welcomes corrections and updates when new information becomes available as part of its ongoing commitment to accurate and transparent journalism.

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