Overview
- The Blue Micromoon reaches full illumination on Sunday, May 31, at about 4:45 a.m. EDT and will be visible across much of the world depending on local weather and timing.
- Because the moon will be near apogee at roughly 406,135 km from Earth, astronomers say it will look about 6 percent smaller and roughly 10 percent dimmer than an average full moon though those changes are subtle.
- For the most dramatic view, watch moonrise shortly after sunset on Saturday evening, May 30, and use a clear eastern horizon, binoculars or a tripod-mounted camera; the Virtual Telescope Project will stream live images for distant viewers.
- Sources disagree on how soon a comparable blue micromoon will recur because the label depends on definition, with some calculations pointing to July 2053 for a like-for-like event and others citing the next calendrical Blue Moon on Dec. 31, 2028.
- The term 'Blue Moon' commonly means the second full moon in a calendar month and does not indicate color; any orange or red tones at moonrise come from atmospheric Rayleigh scattering and the well-known horizon 'moon illusion.'