Special Super Blue Moon

What is a Blue Moon? A Blue Moon is defined as the second of two full moons occurring in a single month. What is a Super Moon? A Super Moon is defined as a full moon that makes its closest orbit to Earth (perigee). Put them together and you have a rare "Super Blue Moon," which makes the moon appear slightly larger than normal. This special event occurred in the skies of Eastern Iowa on Wednesday, August 30, 2023. The moon rose at 7:59 pm CDT, and reached maximum fullness by 8:36 pm. The composite image above looks southeast toward the rising moon from Lowe Park in Marion, Iowa at 8:15 pm. The sphere in the foreground is a stainless steel gazing ball located along a trail in the park. Above and slightly right of the moon is the 0.42 magnitude planet Saturn. Main image is a 1/6 second exposure at f/4.5, ISO 200, 70mm focal length. The moon image (below) was used for the composite above.

Moon capture at 8:17 pm. Image is a 1/200 second exposure at f/4.5, ISO 200, 70mm focal length. The next "Super Blue Moon" won't occur again until 2037. Nikon Z6ii camera.