SAN JOSE, California. – A stunning sight unfolded in San Jose, California, as a blue supermoon rose over the city while a helicopter dropped flame retardant over a nearby wildfire.
Chere Tamura, who went outside to capture the beauty of the moon on Monday evening, witnessed the extraordinary sight of the Quimby Fire raging in the nearby hills.
“I was surprised to see the moon rising through the flames and shocked to film a helicopter dropping flame retardant on the fire in the shadow of the moon,” she said as she filmed the dramatic sight.
According to CAL FIRE Santa Clara Unit information Monday evening, firefighters are battling three separate fires totaling 33 acres. The fire is 5% contained and advancement has been stopped with help from the San Jose Fire Department. Access and terrain make containment difficult as evacuation warnings remain in place.
Shreenivasan Manievannan also filmed the supermoon rising over the Golden Gate Bridge, bathing the San Francisco skyline in an orange haze. Manievannan said he shot the footage from Marin Headlands and managed to capture the shot after clouds and fog had cleared.
The moon looked 14% larger during Monday’s supermoon, illuminating Earth with 30% more light than the dimmest full moon when it is farthest away in its orbit, according to NASA.
According to NASA, a seasonal blue moon occurs when there are four full moons in a season instead of the usual three. The third moon of the season is a blue moon.
Monday’s full moon was the third of the summer, the first two occurring on June 21 and July 21.
The time between Blue Supermoons is quite irregular. It can be between 10 and 20 years. The next pair of Blue Supermoons is expected to occur in January and March 2037.