The “Super Flower Moon” will appear on July 3rd (Vietnam time) and will kick off a series of consecutive supermoons over the next four lunar months, magnified in size thanks to a “double effect.”
According to the Gregorian calendar, there will be 2 supermoons in August, meaning the chain of 4 consecutive supermoons will include the Super Flower Moon on July 3, the Red Moon on August 2, the Blue Moon on August 31, and the Harvest Moon on September 30, as reported by the astronomy tracking site EarthSky.
Calculations by astrophysicist Fred Espenak, a former expert at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, indicate that these 4 full moons will appear at a distance ranging from 357,344 to 361,934 km, which is much closer than the average distance, making them appear larger, hence the term “supermoon.”
The gradient from orange to red may envelop all 4 supermoons to come. (In the image: The orange-red moon taken from Ho Chi Minh City on May 5 – Photo: ANH THƯ).
The term supermoon is not an official term. It was first defined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979, referring to new or full moons that occur when the moon is closest to Earth in its orbit. EarthSky uses a more recent standard established by Dr. Espenak.
Notably, since Earth has just experienced the Summer Solstice (June 21), these moons will often appear with a fiery orange hue.
Western countries typically name full moons after events occurring in that month or the characteristics of the moon at that time. The moon in August is often called the Sturgeon Moon or the Red Moon due to the prominent orange-red color typical of summer.
However, August will also witness the rare phenomenon of 2 full moons occurring in the same calendar month, so the supermoon on August 31 – while still exhibiting hues from orange-red to fiery – will be known as “the Blue Moon”, a term used to refer to the second full moon of the month.
According to NASA, the orange hue of the moon is caused by the moon hanging low during the summer months, allowing us to view the satellite through Earth’s thicker atmosphere, which scatters the light.
The orange color will be more pronounced if, at that time, wildfires are releasing smoke across the planet.
This gives rise to the legend of the “Harvest Moon of Orange”, popular in many countries. However, in reality, the moon still emits its usual silvery white light; the orange appearance is due to our view through a prism – the atmosphere.
In Vietnam, the fiery orange moon has been visible since May, coinciding with the onset of wildfires both domestically and internationally due to the higher temperatures than in previous years.
Additionally, the low-hanging moon – lowest at sunset – creates an effect that makes it appear larger than usual, known as the moon illusion. This illusion, combined with the supermoon, promises a spectacular sight: a massive fiery orange supermoon that you should look forward to at sunset on July 3.
