SkyMatters: Supermoons and the queen of meteor showers

"Originally a Blue Moon referred to something that is impossible, and the phrase dates all the way back to the 16th century."

Between clouds the supermoon can be seen in the night sky, in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. The cosmos is offering up a double feature in August: a pair of supermoons culminating in a rare blue moon on Aug. 30. (Arne Dedert/dpa via AP)

The Moon has played and continues to play a prominent role in our skies this August. 

On the one hand, there are two occurrences of the so-called Supermoon. The first happened on August 1st and the next is due on August 31st. Since the second Supermoon is also the second full moon in a month, it is named a Blue Moon.