We are in for a double feature astronomical event on the night of August 30-31, 2023–a pair of supermoons culminating in a rare blue moon! That’s a “Super Blue Moon” event! Blue moons occur when two full moons occur in the same month. In August 2023 we experienced the first full moon on the 1st, so the one on the 30th is the blue moon night. Supermoons occur when the moon is “close” to the Earth, and on the night of the 30th the moon will be a scant 222,043 miles distant, its perigree (its closest distance to the Earth in its entire orbit path). This supermoon event will be 30% brighter than normal full moons. The last time two full supermoons graced our skies was in 2018. It won’t happen again until 2038.
Get out and observe the blue/supermoon event by taking the kids and dogs and friends (or just yourself) for a walk along the Spring Creek Trail starting at the listed coordinates in the parking lot at the eastern end of Edora Park. Start at the spot marked by a pair of reflector tacks. Bring a strong light to make the reflectors shine more brightly than the moon does and find your way eastward along the trail following the reflectors. The last reflectors placed on a trail rail post are positioned on a post soon before the trail swings sharply to the left. There is a pair of relectors at this location where you need to leave the trail. At this point the next reflectors (two at the same point) are at a considerable distance and not along the trail as the previous glint-producers have been. So search ahead carefully for the two; these two mark the end of the reflector series. The cache container is located in a tree hollow on the east side of the two-reflector tree host. Use your light to search for it in its resting place.
Enjoy the SuperBlue Moon if you happen out on the night of the 30/31st. Beyond that date, simply enjoy the night cache series!