There will be a Blue Moon Saturday night
Mars will become one of the brightest bodies in the sky starting Sunday
Cloud cover may hamper the experience for South Florida stargazers
Mars will become one of the brightest bodies in the sky starting Sunday
Cloud cover may hamper the experience for South Florida stargazers
There is an astronomical phenomenon known as a Blue Moon which happens, you guessed it, only occasionally. And it’s happening this weekend.
In fact, Saturday and Sunday will offer a dual opportunity for stargazers to get excited because aside from the infrequent Blue Moon Saturday evening there will also be some high-jinks from Mars on Sunday evening.
Mars will be in opposition, meaning the Earth will be passing directly between Mars and the sun. That could make Mars brighter than any star or planet in the night sky.
So get your telescopes out.
If you watch the southeastern part of the sky Saturday night you might be able to see the shining Blue Moon while the Red Planet also beams a bright rusty-orange glow at the same time. Mars will be bright for the next couple of months.
By the time Mars reaches opposition, it will have quadrupled in brightness since the beginning of April, according to EarthSky.org.
The last Blue Moon happened in July of 2015. The next one won’t happen until January of 2018. Traditionally, a Blue Moon is what people called an extra moon in a season.
Seasons typically only see three full moons, making 12 full moons in a calendar year. The fourth full moon in a season and 13ths for a year is rare.
A warning: A Blue Moon is not actually blue. It is mostly bright white but can take on a bluish hue depending on the season and conditions.
South Florida residents are expected to get a fair but not great opportunity to see what’s happening with the moon and Mars this weekend because of cloud cover.
The forecast from AccuWeather.com predicts fair conditions for Blue Moon visibility on Saturday, but poor conditions for Mars visibility on Sunday.
4 comments:
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'commercials'?! Try 'Before Its News' - it's 'commercial' free!!! hahahahahaha Love your sense of humor!!!! Apparently you did not continue with the video above - it was a short report on the subject matter of this post. Most videos now have a short ad or promotion at the beginning of the tape prior to the actual message.
I agree Ms. Oyl,... Before It's News is THE most difficult site I've had to 'negotiate' for articles, (through all the bullsh*t they allow on their site),... I rarely go there for just for that reason. Thank you all who administer this site for all your hard work.
Thank you Slaveman for taking time to comment and for your 'thank you.' It's always good to hear from you!
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