FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Attention astronomy fans! The Super Blue Moon is set to brighten up the night sky this week. It will be biggest and brightest the night of Wednesday, August 30th from 8:30 PM to 7:33 AM EDT.

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The Super Blue Moon peaks from 8:30 PM Wednesday to 7:33 AM Thursday.

The blue moon supermoon has nothing to do with color. Rather, it is the term given to the second supermoon that happens in a given month. Earlier in August, we had the ‘Super Sturgeon Moon,’ which was named after the many sturgeon (a type of fish) that are found in the Great Lakes.

It is not too often we see two supermoons in a month. The last time this happened was in 2018. Standard Blue Moons happen when the moon is full twice a month, which can happen on average every two to three years. Two supermoons in a month though only happens on average every eight years, according to astronomy expert Tony Rice.

Our next standard Blue Moon will be in 2026, which is around the average. However, the next Super Blue Moon will not occur until 2037!

Get out and enjoy the closest the moon will be to the Earth this year! The moon will be 222,043 miles away. There will be one more supermoon this year in September, but it will not be as close as this Super Blue Moon. While the closeness of the moon will make for great local views, this could make the storm surge worse for Idalia along the Florida Gulf Coast…

The viewing forecast looks ideal! Visit our WANE 15 Weather Page for the details.