Fwd: Blue micromoon; Venus and Jupiter continue their dance; view Mercury

[Diane Tokugawa]

Diane
Begin forwarded message:

From: Alexei V Filippenko <afili...@berkeley.edu>
Date: May 30, 2026 at 11:50:19 AM PDT
To: Alexei V Filippenko <afili...@berkeley.edu>
Subject: Blue micromoon; Venus and Jupiter continue their dance; view Mercury



Dear Astronomy/Lick/Keck supporter and/or friend,

I wanted to give you a quick update, since many people have asked
me about at least the first of these celestial events.

(1) The media has made a big deal of tonight's (May 30/31) "blue
micromoon" full moon. Let me explain what this is, and why visually
it's NOT very impressive (unlike, say, a total solar eclipse).

A "blue micromoon" is a full moon that is both a blue moon and a
micromoon at the same time: "blue" means it's an extra full moon
in the calendar month (there was one at the beginning of May),
and "micromoon" means it happens when the Moon is near "apogee"
(the farthest distance from Earth in its elliptical orbit), so
it looks a bit smaller and dimmer than usual (the opposite of a
"supermoon"). But only 6-7% smaller, so no big deal, just as a
supermoon isn't a big deal, despite media attention.

The Moon does NOT look blue. The name comes from the calendar/ lunar
timing, not the Moon's color A blue moon got its name because "blue"
originally meant rare or unusual, not literally blue. The phrase
likely grew from older English usage meaning something impossible
or absurd, and later came to describe an uncommon lunar event.

Sure, take a look -- the full moon is always pretty -- but don't
expect a truly dazzling sight, especially since tonight's full moon
will appear smaller than average.

(2) You might recall that two weeks ago, I told you about the crescent
moon near Venus and Jupiter -- a nice sight in the western eveing
sky. Well, the Moon is now out of the way, rising in the east at
sunset. But to the west, Venus and Jupiter continue to gradually
approach each other. On June 9 they will have their smallest
separation in the sky, 1.6 degrees, roughly like the width of your
index finger held out at arm's length. They are very bright (Venus is
brightest), so take a look toward the western horizon (unobstructed by
trees, buildings, or hills) about 45 to 75 minutes after sunset.  You
might want to watch the celestial dance starting a few days before
June 9 until a few days after, if you can. Indeed, continue to
mid-June and see Mercury as well (next description). No telescope or
binoculars needed -- just your eyes! (By the way, note that even at
their closest apparent sky positions, Venus and Jupiter will be about
400 million miles apart from each other!)

(3) On June 16, you'll have a great chance to see the elusive planet
Mercury; not many people have seen it because it's so close to the
Sun. It will be near the very young crescent moon, and also near Venus
and Jupiter. Look west about 45-60 minutes after sunset, and make sure
you have a very clear, low western horizon, with no trees, buildings,
or hills in the way. See the attached diagram from timeanddate.com
. This should be a very pretty sight! If you can't look on June 16 or
it's cloudy that evening, try the day before or the day after; the Moon
won't be so nearby, though Venus and Jupiter will still be there to
guide you. But Mercury is significantly fainter than those two planets.

Wishing you clear skies,

Alex

ps. If you're interested in joining Noelle and me on a trip to
Lisbon and the Azores (Sep. 14-25, 2026; not a cruise) or a
cruise among Fijian islands (May 21-28, 2027), please contact
me. Some spaces remain. I'll be a speaker, and there will be
stargazing sessions in dark skies.