The first of four supermoons appeared in the skies above Santa Clarita on Monday.

The first appearance of the Supermoon Blue Moon took place Monday afternoon, August 19, 2024, at 2:26 PM EDT, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

A supermoon happens when a full moon takes place as the Moon is closest to Earth along its orbit. The proximity varies even for supermoon occurrences, with the strongest ones appearing about 14% larger than when a full moon is farthest from Earth, according to  NASA.

Supermoons occur about three to four times a year. The term supermoon was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 to describe either a new or full moon that occurs when the Moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth, said NASA.

A full blue moon occurs within a day or so of perigee, so it occurs three to four times a year. About 25 percent of all full moons are supermoons, but only 3 percent are blue moons.

Despite the name, blue moons are not literally blue. Instead, the name refers to when two full moons occur in a calendar month.

The time between super blue moons is quite irregular. It can be as much as 20 years  but in general, 10 years is the average, according to NASA.

The remaining supermoons are set to take place on Sept. 18, Oct. 17 and Nov. 16.

September’s supermoon will coincide with a partial lunar eclipse.

The supermoon in October will be the year’s closest approach, and the supermoon in November will round out the year, according to NASA.

The first supermoon that took place Monday was 24,917 miles (361,970 kilometers) away from Earth.

The September supermoon will be nearly 3,000 miles (4,484 kilometers) closer the night of Sept. 17 into the following morning. A partial lunar eclipse will also unfold that night, visible in much of the Americas, Africa and Europe as the Earth’s shadow falls on the moon, said NASA.

October’s supermoon will be the year’s closest at 222,055 miles (357,364 kilometers) from Earth, followed by November’s supermoon at a distance of 224,853 miles (361,867 kilometers) , NASA said.

The best time to view the Supermoon is around 10 to 11 p.m. local time, which gives the moon some time to rise into the sky. From there, viewers should be able to view it all night.

The next time that the supermoon coincides with a seasonal blue moon will be Aug. 21, 2032, NASA said. The next supermoon that converges with a monthly blue moon will be in January 2037.

To learn more information about the full blue supermoon, visit NASA website.

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