On Thursday, an astronomical event of great interest to stargazers will take place in Egypt: a Super Blue Moon accompanied by the planet Saturn. The peak of the event is scheduled to occur at 3:37 a.m. local time (GMT+3).
The term “Blue Moon” is somewhat misleading, as it does not refer to the moon’s color but rather to the occurrence of a second full moon in a single calendar month. This phenomenon is relatively rare, with only one or two events per year due to the moon’s average cycle lasting approximately 29.5 days.
On the other hand, a supermoon is a more frequent phenomenon that occurs when the moon’s elliptical orbit brings it closest to Earth, known as perigee. During this time, the moon appears to be around 14 percent larger than at its farthest point from Earth, known as apogee. Supermoons happen more frequently, with three to four occurrences per year.
Although around 25 percent of all full moons can technically be classified as Super Moons, only about three percent meet the criteria for a Blue Moon. As a result, the convergence of these two phenomena is quite rare, occurring on average once every ten years and occasionally with intervals of up to 20 years. NASA has predicted that the next Super Blue Moon will not appear until January 2037.
According to NASA, the Super Blue Moon will be visible as a full moon to the naked eye for three consecutive days, starting on Tuesday night and lasting until Friday morning. Moreover, the planet Saturn will also be visible alongside the moon on Thursday, appearing to gradually shift westward each evening as the Earth orbits around the sun.
This will allow stargazers to observe the Super Blue Moon and Saturn in the same field of view. On the upcoming Thursday, an astronomical event of great interest to stargazers will take place in Egypt: a Super Blue Moon accompanied by the planet Saturn. The peak of the event is scheduled to occur at 3:37 a.m. local time (GMT+3).
This phenomenon is relatively rare, with only one or two occurrences per year due to the moon’s average cycle lasting approximately 29.5 days.
On the other hand, a supermoon is a more frequent phenomenon that occurs when the moon’s elliptical orbit brings it closest to Earth, known as perigee. During this time, the moon appears to be around 14 percent larger than at its farthest point from Earth, known as apogee. Supermoons happen more frequently, with three to four occurrences per year.
