First of two August supermoons dazzles in B.C. night sky

A stunning supermoon lit up the B.C. sky Tuesday night and if you slept through it don't despair because there is another in store later this month.

A supermoon happens when the moon's orbit is closest to Earth at the same time that it's full, which makes it appear bigger in the night sky.

This August, there are two such moons gracing the sky. One rose Tuesday night and the second will appear on Aug. 30.

Aerospace engineer Walter Stoddard, speaking Wednesday to CBC's On The Island, said the spectacular sight is worth making time for.

"It looks huge and beautiful," said Stoddard. "We don't always take a moment to refresh our sense of wonder and awe, so these are great moments."

Supermoons are not super rare. According to Toronto-based astrophysicist Jesse Rogerson, there are a couple of supermoons a year.

A blue moon, which is a second full moon in one calendar month, is rarer says Rogerson, and occurs every two to three years.

But the last time a blue moon was also a supermoon, as the second August moon will be, was in 2009. 

"It's quite an awesome thing to check out," said Rogerson.

The August sky has a few show-stoppers in store this summer. Not only can nighttime gazers delight in two supermoons, the Perseid meteor shower mid-month will also provide ample opportunity to wish on a falling star even though, technically, no stars are truly falling.

Each August the earth plows through a thick trail of debris left from a passing comet and the result is a spectacle of meteors lighting up the sky.

Perseid meteor activity will peak on Aug. 13. Stoddard says this year in particular will be excellent viewing because it will be a new moon at the same time and that means the sky will be dark.

Some years, said Stoddard, there have been reports of up to 200 meteor sightings over the course of an hour.

 "Go out and throw a blanket down," said Stoddard. "See the wonder of it, see the beauty of it."