When is the blue moon 2023? It's tonight. How to see August's 2nd full moon in Arizona

Michael Salerno, Arizona Republic
Updated ·4 min read

This is a banner month for moon watchers: August 2023 has not one but two full moons, and both are supermoons.

The second full moon of August is the only blue moon of 2023, and your last chance until 2037 to see a blue supermoon.

This blue moon was preceded by the sturgeon moon on Aug. 1. It followed the Jan. 6 wolf moon, the Feb. 5 snow moon, the March 7 worm moon, the April 5 pink moon, the May 5 flower moon the June 3 strawberry moon and the July 3 buck moon.

The exact timing of the moonrise varies depending on where you are. Read on to find out what time to see the August 2023 blue moon and a calendar of all the full moons of 2023.

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What day in August is the full moon?

The first full moon of August 2023 was on Tuesday, Aug. 1.

The best time to view it was after sunset from a place with a clear view of the southeast, according to the Farmers' Almanac. Moonrise in Arizona was scheduled for 8:01 p.m. on Aug. 1.

The second August 2023 full moon — the blue moon — is Wednesday, Aug. 30. Moonrise is scheduled for 7:09 p.m. Arizona time.

Is the August 2023 full moon a supermoon?

Yes, both August full moons are supermoons. A supermoon is a moon that appears bigger and brighter in the sky, which occurs when a full moon's orbit is closest to Earth, according to NASA.

The Aug. 30 blue moon is expected to be the largest supermoon of the year, according to the Farmers' Almanac.

July's full moon also was a supermoon. The Sept. 29 harvest moon also is expected to be a supermoon, according to the Farmers' Almanac.

What is the August 2023 full moon called?

August's full moon is known as the sturgeon moon because August is when sturgeon, a large prehistoric fish species whose origins trace back at least 136 million years, historically were abundant and easy to catch in the Great Lakes, according to the Farmers' Almanac.

Other nicknames for the August full moon include the corn moon, black cherries moon and mountain shadows moon.

If a month has two full moons, the second one is known as a blue moon.

How rare are blue moons?

It takes the moon about 29.5 days to complete its cycle of phases from new to full, and every month has 30 or 31 days except for February, which has 28 in most years and 29 in leap years.

Based on that, it takes the moon on average about 30 months — or 2.5 years — to appear full twice in one month, according to NASA. The last blue moon was a Halloween full moon on Oct. 31, 2020. After the Aug. 30 blue moon, the next one will take place on May 31, 2026.

Blue moons that are also supermoons are rarer. The next one is scheduled for Jan. 31, 2037, according to a full supermoon calendar compiled by retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak.

The Farmers' Almanac notes there is a second type of blue moon called a seasonal blue moon. When there are four full moons in a season instead of three, the third is considered a blue moon. The next seasonal blue moon is scheduled for Aug. 19, 2024.

The rarity of these phenomena explains why people use the phrase "once in a blue moon" to describe something that doesn't happen often. But even rarer is when two blue moons happen in a single year, which last happened in January and March 2018. That won't happen again until 2037, according to the Farmers' Almanac.

When is the next full moon?

After August's blue moon, the next full moon is the harvest moon on Sept. 29.

Here's every full moon in 2023

Here is the entire 2023 full moon calendar:

  • Friday, Jan. 6.

  • Sunday, Feb. 5.

  • Tuesday, March 7.

  • Wednesday, April 5.

  • Friday, May 5.

  • Saturday, June 3.

  • Monday, July 3.

  • Tuesday, Aug. 1.

  • Wednesday, Aug. 30.

  • Friday, Sept. 29.

  • Saturday, Oct. 28.

  • Monday, Nov. 27.

  • Tuesday, Dec. 26.

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Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: When is the blue moon 2023? How to see the 2nd August full moon