August moons and meteors

There has been much discussion about the moon for August as the celestial events for this month are rare. For example, August 2023 will have two “supermoons,” and when there are two full moons during the same month, it’s also called a “blue moon.”

Our first supermoon was Aug. 1, but in case you missed it, the next supermoon will be Aug. 30. A supermoon occurs when the moon is closest to the Earth, called a perigee, at the same time as a full moon. To the observer, the moon appears bigger and brighter during this time, especially when it’s rising. When the moon is at the closest point to the Earth, the average distance is about 226,000 miles from our planet. By contrast, at its farthest point, the average distance is approximately 253,000 miles from Earth.

The term supermoon was invented by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979. His definition of the supermoon was described as either a new or full moon when it’s within 90% of its closest approach to the Earth.

The first supermoon of August, and the second one of 2023, was called the “Super Sturgeon Moon.” The one Aug. 30 is called the “Super Blue Moon” and will be the biggest and brightest of the year. There is another supermoon in late September, but it will not be quite as spectacular as the one late in the month.

Assuming skies are clear Aug. 30, the best time to view the supermoon is shortly before 8 p.m. as the moonrise on that date is 7:51 p.m. across North Idaho. Also, the sun sets at 7:31 p.m. Aug. 30, so if the weather cooperates, the viewing of the event should be very good.

We owe a great debt to the moon as it literally stabilizes the Earth’s rotation. The moon also provides our seasons and has slowed the Earth’s rotation. If our moon was smaller or non-existent, scientists say that our planet would have much shorter days.

Our moon is also drifting away from the Earth about 1.5 inches per year. So, if we’re here in 50 billion years, the moon will be far enough from our planet to take about 47 days to orbit the Earth, rather than the current 27.3 days.

Many of our long-range forecasts are based on the lunar cycles. Farmers have been planting by the moon for thousands of years. Everyone agrees that the full moon, and even the new moon, lead to noticeable changes in ocean tides. We believe that if the lunar cycles can affect the tides of the oceans, then why not the tides of the air?

During the full moon and new moon cycles, upper-level winds will often change as the low-pressure troughs, or dips in the jet stream, become greater while the high-pressure ridges will amplify, especially toward the end of the cycle. By contrast, during the first and last quarter lunar phases, the jet stream often becomes more zonal and storm systems are usually not as intense.

Another great viewing event this month is the Perseid meteor shower. This is an annual event that begins in the middle of July and continues through most of August. At this time of year, the Earth passes through a cloud of particles that were ejected from the comet Swift-Tuttle as it travels on its 133-year orbit. As the particles come into contact with our atmosphere, we often see the effect of “shooting stars.” Astronomers say that the meteor shower will peak around Aug. 11 to 13. The years with little or no moonlight, as will be the case this month as the new moon is Aug. 16, will often see higher rates of meteors. Back in 2016, which was an outburst year, there were 150-200 meteors per hour. The best viewing is usually at night and away from the city lights.

There’s another astronomical event worth mentioning that occurs in late August and early September that is called the “Saturn Opposition.” During that time, the Earth flies directly between the sun and Saturn giving us our best and brightest view of the ringed planet. The peak is around 1 a.m. Aug. 27, but you can see this in the evenings around that date as Saturn will ascend in the eastern sky.

In terms of our local weather, the 90-degree temperatures returned last week, but readings are expected to be mostly in the 80s across the lower elevations of the Inland Northwest. Also, as of this weekend's writing, it appeared that our region was finally going to receive some showers and thunderstorms that would break our streak of dry days.

After the middle of this week, a strong high-pressure system is expected to rebuild and bring us another stretch of dry and very warm to hot weather. It’s very possible that we could see temperatures in Coeur d’Alene and surrounding regions challenge the 100-degree mark next week. As we get toward late August and early September, there is an increasing chance of showers and thunderstorms across North Idaho. Stay tuned.

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Contact Randy Mann at randy@longrangeweather.com.