Mother Nature wants you to mark your calendars for a special event this week.
On Wednesday, August 30, the night sky will be illuminated by a rare celestial event known as a “super blue moon,” which will be the closest and brightest full moon of 2023, according to The Old Farmers Almanac.
This full moon is special for a few reasons: It is the second full moon in one calendar month — an occurrence that makes it a “blue moon” — while simultaneously being at its closest point to Earth along its roughly 28-day orbit, which qualifies it as a “supermoon.”
According to NASA, super blue moons are quite rare: About 25 percent of all full moons are supermoons, but only 3 percent of full moons are blue moons. The next super blue moons won’t happen for more than a decade, occurring as a pair in January and March 2037.
To enjoy this rare treat, stargazers should look to the east-southeast horizon on Aug. 30 to see the super blue moon rising around 8:24 p.m. ET. The moon will reach 100% illumination about an hour later, at 9:36 p.m. ET.
The next supermoon, occurring Sept. 29, will be the last supermoon of 2023.