Hello everyone, and welcome back to one of my favorite summer appointments-sitting outside, looking at the sky, and marveling at cool stuff! This week, we’ll be blessed with yet another celestial event, which is actually a combo of two events.
On Wednesday, August 30, get ready to look up and marvel not only at what’s expected to be a breathtaking supermoon, but also at a blue moon-which makes it a blue supermoon (or super blue moon, if you prefer). Let us break it down for you.
A supermoon is a fairly rare event (there are only four in 2023), and it happens every time a full moon coincides with the moon’s closest position to the Earth. Hence the name “supermoon,” as these full moons are technically larger and brighter than their regular counterparts. However, you should know that the moon won’t, in fact, appear bigger than it normally is, because the difference is not really perceivable with the naked eye. Yet, it will for sure appear brighter-a supermoon, according to EarthSky, exceeds the disk size and brightness of an average full moon by roughly 16%, which is even 30% more when compared to the year’s tiniest full moon.
It will also be a blue moon. Before you get too excited about sharing cool photos on Instagram, though, you should know that the moon won’t really change its color and match the ocean. The term blue moon, as per the official definition introduced by Sky & Telescope in 1946, refers to the second full moon in a calendar month, Space.com points out. This August, in fact, already witnessed one full moon on August 1, which makes this upcoming one an actual blue moon.
This is a pretty rare sighting, too. The next super blue moon is not expected to happen until August 2032, nine years from now.
Now, you might be wondering when exactly you’ll be able to catch this beauty in the sky. At 12 pm ET on August 30 the moon will reach the closest point to Earth in its orbit (which is called perigee). After 9 hours and 36 minutes later, as both Space.com and NASA report, it will become full at exactly (you guessed it) 9:36 PM ET.
If you have plans that night or conditions are not ideal to sit outside and look at the moon, there’s no need to stress. As NASA points out, the planet will appear for three days around the peak, which means that you’ll be able to see it in all of its majestic grandeur from Tuesday through Friday morning.
And as an added treat, you might be able to spot something else, too. On Wednesday night, Saturn will appear near the moon and it will be pretty visible, since it will be just a few days away from both its brightest and closest-to-Earth moment of the year. Happy stargazing!
Mexican restaurant chain Mad Mex has dropped a new protein, and it’s one of the most popular street foods in Mexico.
Enter, Chicken Al Pastor. It’s traditionally made with pork and grilled on a spinning rotisserie with a pineapple sitting a top, but Mad Mex has put its own spin on it, serving chicken bathed in an Al Pastor marinade with a touch of juicy pineapple.
You can order the protein-packed filling in your favourite burrito, bowl, quesadilla, nachos, or in a taco.
As always, these things are here for a good time, not a long time. Pop into your local Mad Mex restaurant, order delivery or through the Mad Mex app today.
