Rare Blue Micromoon rises this weekend
Since we already had a full moon back on May 1, this one will be the second one in a month and they are given the name blue moon.
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There’s a special full moon happening this weekend and it will be a Blue Micromoon!
Even though it’s a colorful name, it won’t actually turn blue.
Since we already had a full moon back on May 1, this one will be the second one in a month and they are given the name blue moon.
A blue moon is also when there are four moons in one season. The third moon in a series would also be called blue.
This full moon is also a micromoon because it will be an apogee moon.
It’s actually the opposite of a Supermoon and occurs when the moon is farthest from the Earth in its orbit. It can vary by about 26,000 miles from its closest point (perigee) to its farthest point (apogee).
Technically, this will be the farthest and thus smallest full moon of the year.
Will the moon actually appear smaller or dimmer?
It will be compared to a moon in apogee, but that is hard to tell, unless you are viewing them side by side. To the average person, it will look like any other full moon rising at sunset and setting at sunrise the next morning.
One thing you might notice is how low the moon tracks across the night sky. That has to do with the time of the year and there will be more on that topic coming up in June.
