Skygazers prepare as rare lunar event set to take over the sky on Sunday
A rare lunar event is expected to light up the sky this weekend, as a blue micromoon became visible Sunday night.
This event is not an event that skywatchers will see very often, as it combines two astronomical phenomena (a blue moon and a micromoon).
Laura Driessen, a postdoctoral researcher at the Sydney Institute of Astronomy, said it would be “incredibly bright” and could be seen all over Australia.
“It’s tens of thousands of times brighter than the brightest star in the night sky,” he told SBS News.
A blue moon does not mean that the moon will actually turn blue; Rather, it is the second full moon to appear in the sky in May.
This is because the moon’s lunar cycle does not line up perfectly with our calendar, which sometimes allows two full moons to appear in one month.
Sunday’s blue moon also coincides with a micromoon, which is when the moon is farthest from Earth.
Micromoons can appear about 6 percent smaller than the average full moon and 12 percent smaller than a supermoon, according to Time and Date.
“At one point in its orbit, the Moon is closer to the Earth, and this closest point is called perigee. At another point in its orbit, it is slightly further away from the Earth, and this is called perigee,” Ms Driessen told SBS News.
“Micromoon means the full moon is near this apogee. So the moon appears slightly smaller because it’s just a touch away from other parts of its orbit.”
The best time to see the celestial event is on Sunday, May 31, when skies are clear and dark.
In NSW, Queensland, Victoria, ACT and Tasmania the moon will reach peak occupancy at 6.45pm AEST.
In South Australia and the Northern Territory the micromoon will peak at 18.15 ACST, and in Western Australia it will peak at 16.45 AWST.
If you look toward a clear eastern horizon, the moon may glow a golden-orange color near the horizon at moonrise or after sunset.
You won’t need a telescope to see the moon, but binoculars can help the moon’s surface appear sharper.
The human eye cannot tell the difference in the size of the micromoon, Ms. Driessen said.
“If you have an average Moon photo next to a micro Moon photo, you can tell the difference,” Ms Driessen told SBS News.
“It will look like a beautiful full moon to us.”
The next blue moon won’t happen until December 31, 2028.
