Monday Utah will enjoy a full supermoon blue moon — how and when to view it

SALT LAKE CITY — While the full moon hit its peak Monday at 12:25 p.m. — while hidden from North America — it promises to be spectacular when it rises Monday evening as a full supermoon.

Full moons, like the one visible Monday and again Tuesday, are considered supermoons when the moon is more than 90% of its closest approach to Earth, according to NASA. That qualifies Monday and Tuesday’s moons as full supermoons and as the third of four full moons in a season, a blue moon too.

To further add to the buzz about the moon, it’s the first of four consecutive months with supermoons, August through November, with September and October virtually tied for the closest approaches of 2024.

Noah Petro, with NASA, said the named moons get attention, but he hopes it helps people pay attention to the moon at other times too.

“I always try to encourage people to go out and look. Dust off your telescope or your binoculars … but also look at it when it’s waning. I really encourage people to use these named moons as opportunities to get familiar with the moon and its surface.”

For Monday moon-watchers in Utah, that means looking to the sky starting at approximately 8:42 p.m., not especially late even on a school night, though mountains will push that time later for moonrise. For those who have to get up early, the moon sets in Utah at 6:20 a.m. Tuesday, allowing for an early-morning visual treat too.

Of course, mountains and human-made structures can alter a person’s viewing experience, because the times are based on the assumption you have an unobstructed view of the horizon. Those close to mountains or structures on the eastern horizon will have to wait longer for moonrise.

While moons in coming months may be slightly larger, Petro said the difference would be difficult to notice and people can expect — if the weather is clear — to enjoy a beautiful moon Monday night.

He suggested the rising and setting of the moon as great times for viewing. There is a moment, Petro said, when the sun, moon and Earth are at the peak point, providing the largest full moon, but the difference between that moment and viewing hours later — for the human eye — isn’t perceptible.

“The difference is so subtle it’s not likely to be noticed,” he said.

While the moon doesn’t change size, views do seem extra spectacular at specific times.

“You get treated to this illusion that the moon is larger when it’s close to the horizon,” he said.

The makes the most spectacular viewing near moonrise and when it sets.

Petro said terms like supermoon aren’t scientific but get applied to astronomic events, like full moons, so sometimes what constitutes a blue moon can have more than one meaning.

The moon, with its universal appeal, also gets a lot of names from around the globe. Other names for this supermoon:

• A blue moon (it will not look blue)
• Sturgeon moon (named by the Algonquin tribes)
• Red moon
• Corn or green corn moon
• Barley moon
• Herb moon
• Grain moon
• Dog moon

It also corresponds with the Hindu festival Raksha Bandhan, or Rakhi Purnima, which celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters. On its website, NASA also honored sci-fi writer Theodore Sturgeon for the moon with the same name. He is credited with the concept of “live long and prosper” in the Star Trek series and introduced the Vulcan hand symbol. NASA suggests considering reading Sturgeon, strengthening sibling bonds, and other enjoyable celebrations for the moonrise.

To photograph the moon, Nikonusa.com suggests setting an aperture of f/11 or f/16 while using a shutter speed of at least 1/15 of a second to avoid blur. It says to set the camera’s focus to infinity. Slightly under-exposing the moon will help show more details from its surface.

When and how to see the rare super blue moon