Close, bright, rare… what is the “super blue moon” observed on Wednesday night to Thursday?

You will need to look at the moon very carefully on the night from Wednesday to Thursday. Not to see the rocket that India managed to send to the star, but simply to observe a very rare phenomenon that, according to NASA, happens only once every 10 or 20 years: a super blue moon.

Before you fantasize, the moon will not be blue tonight. It bears the name “blue” precisely because of its rarity. (taken from the English expression “once upon a blue moon”). A blue moon simply means that it is the second full moon in the same month. With a lunar cycle of 29.5 days a year, there are usually only 12 full moons, with the exception of every two or three years when there are 13.

The next one… in 2037.

Except that on the night of August 30-31, the “Blue Moon” phenomenon is added to the “Supermoon” phenomenon, indicating the moment when “the Moon approaches the Earth closest to the Earth in its elliptical orbit, a point called perigee.” ”, – reported on the official website of NASA. Thus, the Moon will be less than 364,000 km from the Earth, which is about 20,000 km less than usual. Therefore, it will appear brighter, larger, but not blue!

An extremely rare double occurrence that only happens once every 10 or 20 years. NASA estimates that the next “super blue moon” will occur in January 2037. An episode not to be missed. In order to observe it well, it is advisable to deviate from the cities and pollution and simply raise your eyes to the sky. Moreover, experts can get binoculars or a telescope.

But what consequences can this “super blue moon” have for a person? Not much bigger than a traditional supermoon. A scientific study published in the journal Current Biology shows that this phenomenon can “change the structure of sleep.” The time to fall asleep could be increased by five short minutes, the duration of sleep reduced by about twenty minutes, all with less good deep sleep. You might as well spend your time looking at the moon!