WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW, AP) —Get ready for a rare blue micromoon this weekend — a “blue moon” that’s also the most distant full moon of the year, making it appear slightly smaller and dimmer than usual. The rare event will be visible Saturday night. The difference can be subtle, though, and may be hard to notice with the naked eye.
The blue moon peaks Saturday evening and lasts into early Sunday morning. The next blue micromoon won’t happen again until 2053.
A bonus: The brilliant star Antares will photobomb Sunday’s spectacle for a celestial three-for-one.
A blue moon occurs every two to three years when a second full moon squeezes into a single month. May 1 saw this month’s first full moon.
Rare Full Blue Micro Moon arrives this weekend(WSAW)
Since the moon’s orbit isn’t a perfect circle, the upcoming full moon will be farther from Earth than usual at a distance of 252,360 miles, making it seem a bit smaller and dimmer. It’s the opposite of a supermoon when a full moon comes closer to us than normal. The most recent supermoon, for instance, was just 225,130 miles away.
The Virtual Telescope Project’s Gianluca Masi, who will provide a live webcast from Italy, said Sunday’s micromoon will appear about 6% smaller and 10% dimmer than that of an average full moon — “differences that are subtle enough to likely go unnoticed by most observers.”
The scene will be especially thrilling south of the equator across the Pacific.
For stargazers in Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, eastern Australia, parts of Antarctica and a smattering of other islands, Antares will vanish temporarily as the blue micromoon passes in front of it.
The red supergiant star, 550 light-years away, is known as the “heart of scorpion” in the constellation Scorpius. A light-year is almost 6 trillion miles.
There won’t be any disappearing act for those looking up elsewhere in the world, with Antares constantly visible alongside the full moon.
And despite the name, this blue moon won’t appear turquoise, sapphire or any other shade. The term simply refers to the uncommon occurrence of two full moons in one month.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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