The reason tonight’s Moon is known by some as a ‘Blue Moon<\/a>‘ is because it’s the second full Moon in a month, the first having appeared on 1 August.<\/p> The term ‘Blue Moon’ originally meant the ‘third full Moon in a season of four’, but nowadays many people use the alternative definition.<\/p> And, because the 30\/31 August full Moon occurs around perigee – the point when the Moon is closest to Earth in its orbit – tonight’s full Moon is what some refer to as a ‘Supermoon<\/a>‘.<\/p> That’s why many observers are calling tonight’s full Moon a ‘Super Blue Moon’.<\/p>\n Despite the undoubted hype surrounding the ‘Super Blue Moon’, in reality tonight’s Moon won’t look any bigger than the Moons either side of it.<\/p> Yes, a perigee full Moon is larger and brighter than an apogee full Moon (apogee meaning the point when the Moon is farthest from Earth in its orbit).<\/p> But the difference is difficult to discern by the naked eye.<\/p> Nevertheless, Supermoons and Blue Moons are a great excuse to get outside and get looking up at our celestial neighbour, and can be a great entry point for kids and newcomers to astronomy.<\/p> But unlike a meteor shower<\/a> or a solar eclipse<\/a>, you could be forgiven for thinking that a quick glance at the bright full Moon should suffice.<\/p> So how can you really make the most of and enjoy tonight’s Super Blue Moon?<\/p> Here are 6 ways to enjoy the August Super Blue Moon, or any full Moon for that matter!<\/p> For more advice, read our complete guide to observing the Moon with the naked eye or a telescope<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p> If you don’t have a telescope, you might at least have a pair of binoculars in the house collecting dust.<\/p> Give them a good clean and get them ready for tonight’s full Moon.<\/p> Many astronomers will tell you a full Moon is not a great time to observe our celestial neighbour with magnification.<\/p> And to an extent, that’s true.<\/p> The best times to observe the Moon are during the crescent Moon<\/a> and gibbous Moon<\/a> phases, when the terminator<\/a> (the line dividing the lit and unlit side of the Moon) throws shadows on the surface, highlighting surface features.<\/p> But if you’ve never considered pointing your binoculars at the night sky before, tonight is a great opportunity to give it a go.<\/p> You may find yourself returning again and again, using your binoculars to track features on the Moon.<\/p> Read our full Moon guide<\/a> for advice on what to see.<\/p> If you do fall in love with observing the Moon, read our guide to the best features to observe on the Moon<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p> Have you ever noticed that a full Moon that’s low in the sky and close to the horizon looks huge?<\/p> You’re not alone. This is a well-documented phenomenon, but in fact it’s an illusion.<\/p> No-one quite knows what causes the Moon illusion<\/a>.<\/p> It could be a result of the Moon’s position on the celestial sphere making it seem bigger, as shown in the diagram above.<\/p> Or perhaps the fact that a low Moon is accompanied by foreground objects like trees and buildings makes it seem so much bigger.<\/p> Observe tonight’s Moon as it rises at around 20:15 BST (UTC+1), making sure you have a clear horizon.<\/p> Does it look much bigger than expected?<\/p> Hold your arm outstretched and see how you can comfortably cover the Moon with your thumb, thus breaking the illusion.<\/p> A DSLR camera is a great way of photographing the Moon, and is a great project to undertake during a bright supermoon.<\/p> For advice on equipment and tips and techniques, read our complete guide on how to photograph the Moon<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p> If you don’t have a DSLR camera and other necessary equipment, fear not.<\/p> It is possible to photograph the Moon with your smartphone camera.<\/p> In our guide, we go through how you can avoid an over-exposed, washed out bright full Moon<\/p> And tips on pointing your phone down your telescope’s eyepiece for a better view.<\/p> Find out more in our guide how photograph the Moon with your smartphone camera<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p> If you don’t have a camera to hand, sketching the Moon is a great way to record what you can see on the surface.<\/p> Again, you’ll be able to get a more dramatic lunar view during a crescent or gibbous phase of the Moon, as that terminator will make things a bit more interesting.<\/p> But nevertheless, having a go at sketching the supermoon and honing in on some of the details is a great way to start your journey into lunar sketching.<\/p> Head out again over the coming weeks and begin to build up a catalogue of lunar drawings, showing the phases changing over time.<\/p> Find out more in our guide on how to draw the Moon<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> Ray ejecta systems are one type of lunar feature that can be seen well during a full Moon.<\/p> They also make great lunar targets for photographing.<\/p> Ray ejecta systems look like bright streaks stretching out from some of the Moon’s craters<\/p> Tycho crater (above) is perhaps the most famous.<\/p> These features are lunar material thrown out onto the surface during impacts throughout the Moon’s history.<\/p> For more info on this, read our guide to lunar ray ejecta systems<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p> 6 ways to enjoy the Super Blue Moon<\/strong><\/h2>
Observe the Moon with binoculars<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"astronomy](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/25\/2021\/11\/astronomy-binoculars-58f8898-e1663230403333.jpg?quality=90&lb=1500,1065&background=white\" "\\"astronomy")
<\/figure><\/div>\nObserve the Moon illusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/25\/2022\/02\/Moon-illusion-diagram-db1e57e.jpg?quality=90&lb=1200,677&background=white\" "\\"Moon")
<\/figure><\/div>\nPhotograph the Moon with a DSLR camera<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Supermoon](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2020\/06\/03.LuisRojas_Supermoon-abfb500.jpg\")
Photograph the Moon with a smartphone<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Silhouette](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/02\/GettyImages-1386199272-85b4922.jpg\")
Sketch the Moon<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"One](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/25\/2019\/09\/Dee-2007-Moon-Drawing-81e2556.jpg?quality=90&lb=1500,1240&background=white\")
Observe the Moon’s ray-ejecta systems<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Tycho](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/25\/2021\/01\/02.SteveFox_TychoCrater-9b27980.jpg?quality=90&lb=978,720&background=white\")