Rare Duo of Supermoons Will Illuminate Wyoming Skies This August

Stargazers and astronomers, mark your calendars! August 2023 has quite the show planned for Wyoming's night skies. Two supermoons will shine over the Equality State this month - with the first set to grace the horizon tomorrow night (August 1).

The lunar double feature marks an exceptionally rare occurrence. Supermoons are uncommon displays, averaging only three or four events a year, according to Earthsky.org. It's an extraordinary occasion when two supermoons appear in a single month. This month's astronomical display is all the more remarkable because the second of the August supermoons is a rare Blue Supermoon.

When & How to See August Supermoons of 2023

The last time two supermoons appeared in a single month was back in 2018, reports AP News, and the next time we'll see such phenomena won't be until 2037. Here's what you need to know about catching both supermoons this August.

August's Sturgeon Supermoon

The Sturgeon Supermoon of 2023 will rise on the evening of Tuesday, August 1. 

Did You Know:  The full moon of August earns its moniker "Sturgeon Moon" because it rises during the peak fishing season for sturgeon in the Great Lakes. There are numerous names for the August moon, many of which come from Native American tribes of North America - they include "red moon," "green corn moon," and "the grain moon." The folks at NASA call a supermoon a perigean (pear-ih-jee-un) full moon.

August's Blue Supermoon

The second of August's supermoon - the Blue Supermoon - won't debut until the month's end. USA Today reports that the Blue Supermoon will begin to illuminate the night sky on August 30 and reach peak illumination around 7:36 p.m. MDT (9:36 p.m. EST)

Did You Know: MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) cites that the first recorded use of the phrase "Once in a Blue Moon" appeared in an anti-clerical flyer in 1528, published by William Roy and Jeremy Barlowe.