Earlier this month, a customer that I was waiting on informed me that there was going to be a blue moon this month. Thinking about this, and the phrase “once in a blue moon” made me want to learn more. So I looked it up on the internet… (Where else does one look things up in this day and age? Most research starts at Google…). Here are a couple things that I learned.
1) What’s happening this month is not actually a blue colored moon.
2) The term blue moon has a couple different meanings.
a) A blue moon is a moon that actually has a blue color.This happens very rarely, only when the weather conditions are right. (And so probably is where the term once in a blue moon comes from.)
b) When there are two full moons that happen in the same month, the second can be be referred to as a blue moon. (There is a cycle for this kind, and the next time it will happen is 2015.)
c) The term can also be used for the third full moon in a season where there are 4 full moons. (I think this is some what similar to usage number 2)
3) There are folklores about blue moons…
4) So enjoy the blue moon tomorrow night (the 31st). It will be several years before you get another chance to experience blue moon.
And since I am getting ready to go back to school I will even be good and give you my sources. (sigh) Whether there are creditable or not, I will live that up to you to decide.
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/when-is-the-next-blue-moon
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