A rare blue micromoon rises this weekend
Yahoo • • general
Key Points:
- A rare blue micromoon will occur this weekend, marking the second full moon in May and the smallest, most distant full moon of the year at 252,360 miles from Earth.
- Unlike a supermoon, this micromoon will appear about 6% smaller and 10% dimmer than an average full moon, though these differences may be subtle to most observers.
- The star Antares, a red supergiant 550 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius, will be temporarily occulted by the micromoon for viewers in regions south of the equator, including parts of Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, and eastern Australia.
- The term "blue moon" refers to the rare occurrence of two full moons in one month and does not imply any change in the moon's color.