Blue supermoon, Saturn to steal the show Wednesday night

Long Islanders gazing into the Wednesday night sky may see an uncommon sight, weather permitting: a rare blue supermoon and a brighter-than-usual Saturn.

“It’s really exciting, not just for stargazers, but for everyone,” said George Gorman, Long Island regional director for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, which will keep several state parks open during nighttime hours for the occurrence.

The supermoon distinction is given to the full moon that occurs near or at the time when it's at its closest point in its orbit around Earth, according to NASA. That means it will appear brighter and larger than usual to the naked eye, astronomers say. July had the year's first supermoon.

However, there also was a supermoon earlier this month — on Aug. 1. Because Wednesday's full moon is the second in the same calendar month, it's what’s called a blue moon. Or, in this case, a blue supermoon. 

Although the day will likely have some clouds, they are expected to disperse just in time for the cosmic display, forecasters say.

This will be the closest full moon of the year, just 222,043 miles or so away. That’s more than 100 miles closer than the Aug. 1 supermoon.

Meanwhile, Saturn, with its rings, will be visible as a bright point 5 degrees to the upper right of the moon, according to NASA. The planet will appear to circle clockwise around the moon as the night wears on.

Together the cosmic show is a sight to behold, astronomers say.

Dave Bush, director of the Vanderbilt Planetarium in Centerport, said stargazers can take in the once-in-a-blue-moon sighting all night long, as long as the skies are clear.

He added: “You wouldn't need to go to an observatory — you can simply go outside and maybe lay out [and] enjoy the evening.”

Saturn, he said, should look like a tiny yellowish star.

If you missed the month’s first spectacle, better catch this one. There won’t be another blue supermoon until 2037, according to Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project.

The night's spectacle can be a moment to think about humanity’s place in the universe, that “we are of the universe,” said Edmund Douglass, astronomer and associate professor of physics at Farmingdale State College.

“When you look up at the moon, when you look up at Saturn or when you look at the stars or galaxy … there can be this sense of wonder. But you can also feel the immensity of space and the vastness of the emptiness of space,” Douglass said.

The fourth and last supermoon of the year will be next month.

With AP

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Education: Howard University 

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.

Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation;  New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting;  Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.