Illinois Still Gets Another Supermoon & Meteor Showers This Month

It seems as though the month of August this year is just full of cool things to see in the skies over Illinois once the sun goes down. Last night, August 1st, gave us (and the entire world) a look at the Sturgeon supermoon, which was very impressive:

Now That The Sturgeon Supermoon Has Come And Gone, Get Ready For The Perseid Meteor Showers, Followed By The Blue Moon Supermoon

Since we're all good Midwesterners (who run out into the yard to look at dangerous weather, even when we're told to go to a safe place) you'll probably want to get outside and take a look at these upcoming events that, assuming the weather cooperates, should be really cool.

So, now that we're past the Sturgeon supermoon, here's what's coming up next in the sky over Illinois.

The Perseid Meteor Showers Began Doing Their Thing In Mid-July

One of the very coolest things about the Perseid Meteor Showers is that in addition to being one of the most popular meteor showers of the year, the Perseids hang around for almost a month and a half.

They just got started on July 14th (people are already reporting their activities), and they'll do their thing in the heavens until around the first week of September, with the absolute best viewing being on Saturday August 12th and Sunday August 13th.

Some years, we don't get a very good look at the Perseids because the moon is so bright it mutes the light from the meteor showers, but this year promises to be different.

Jacksonville.com:

The Perseids are active through Sept. 1, but the best nights to watch will be Aug. 12 and 13. The meteor shower will be peaking then with rates from rural locations ranging from 50-75 meteors per hour at maximum, according to the American Meteor Society. The moon will only be 10% full on those nights, which should leave a nice dark sky as a backdrop for stargazers.

Then, To Wrap Up The Month, We Get The Blue Moon Supermoon

The big finale of our month of sky-gazing comes on Wednesday, August 30th, with the arrival of the Full Blue Moon (or, Blue Moon Supermoon). This blue moon will be the biggest full moon of 2023, coming the closest to Earth of any full moon this year.

The Blue Moon Supermoon will rise at 6:10pm local time on August 30th, and will set at 5:46am on Thursday, August 31st.