Pending clear skies, Torontonians will be able to spot a super blue moon if you look up at the sky tonight.
The rare supermoon will shine over the city on Monday, August 19, and won’t happen again until January 2037.
In a combination of two lunar phenomena which occurs when the moon is at its closest point to Earth in orbit, it will appear around 30 per cent brighter and 15 per cent larger than it does at its farthest point.
Occurring on average only once every ten years, the moon will look its fullest on Monday, though will look quite similar on Sunday and Tuesday as well.
Despite its name, it will not be blue in appearance; “blue moon” actually points to the timing of the lunar cycle, which could either be monthly or seasonal.
Monthly blue moons happen around once every two to three years, with a lunar cycle of roughly 29.5 days.
Tonight’s rare supermoon is a seasonal blue moon, which is the third of four full moons within a season.
You don’t need any special settings or equipment to see tonight’s super blue moon either. All you need is your naked eye, and you’ll be able to spot the craters, highlands, and dips of the moon’s surface.
While looking up towards the sky tonight, you might also still be able to spot the ongoing Perseid meteor shower which peaked last week.
Happy stargazing, Toronto!