Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)

■ Two supermoons in August means double the stargazing fun.

- By Marcia Dunn

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The cosmos is offering up a double feature in August: a pair of supermoons culminatin­g in a rare blue moon.

Catch the first show Tuesday evening as the full moon rises in the southeast, appearing slightly brighter and bigger than normal. That’s because it will be closer than usual, just 222,159 miles away, thus the supermoon label.

The moon will be even closer the night of Aug. 30 — a scant 222,043 miles distant. Because it’s the second full moon in the same month, it will be what’s called a blue moon.

“Warm summer nights are the ideal time to watch the full moon rise in the eastern sky within minutes of sunset. And it happens twice in August,” said retired NASA astrophysi­cist Fred Espenak, dubbed Mr. Eclipse for his eclipse-chasing expertise.

The last time two full supermoons graced the sky in the same month was in 2018. It won’t happen again until 2037, according to Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project.

Masi will provide a live webcast of Tuesday evening’s supermoon, as it rises over the Colosseum in Rome.

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