No big topic here - I just found this interesting when I was checking to see if there was a full moon tonight since it was so bright in the sky.
Our next full moon is this Wednesday, December 2nd but we will have ANOTHER one in December on the 31st (New Year's Eve!) The 2nd full moon in a month is called a blue moon!
Blue Moon
Written by Fraser Cain
A lunar month takes 29.53 days. This is the amount of time it takes for the Moon to complete a cycle through all the phases, from new moon to full moon and then back to new moon again. This is very close to the length of a month in the Western calendar, which usually have 30 or 31 days. Every month usually has one of each of the phases. So a typical month will have a new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter moon. But every now and then, a month will have two of the same phases. When a month has two full moons, the second one is called a "blue moon".
Blue moons are rare, and that's where the phrase comes from, "once in a blue moon". How rare? They always happen once every 2-3 years (2.72 years, to be exact). It's this second moon in the month that's considered the blue moon.
Does the blue moon actually turn blue? No. A blue moon is exactly the same color as a regular full moon – yellow.
The Moon can turn blue when there's a certain amount of dust or pollution in the air. The extra dust scatters blue light, making the Moon appear more blue. For example, the Moon appeared blue across the entire Earth for about 2 years after the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883.
Here is a list of upcoming blue moons:
December 31, 2009
August 31, 2012
July 31, 2015
well, I learn something new every day!
Prior to your post, this is all I ever knew about a blue moon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-avJPsuArgsBom ba ba bom ba bom ba bom bom bom ba ba bom ba bom ba bom bom Blue moon, moon, moon, moon, moon Di ding a dong ding moon, moon, moon, ...
| QUOTE (chloewannabee @ Nov 30 2009, 08:12 PM) |
well, I learn something new every day!
Prior to your post, this is all I ever knew about a blue moon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-avJPsuArgs
Bom ba ba bom ba bom ba bom bom bom ba ba bom ba bom ba bom bom Blue moon, moon, moon, moon, moon Di ding a dong ding moon, moon, moon, ... |
LOL!!! I love that song!!
I'll never forget years ago when we were in a resort in the Catskills in upstate New York. We were all hanging out in the showroom during the day and someone was playing piano and people were taking turns singing. My Mom was going to sing and they decided on "Blue Moon". I kept thinking "Mom is going to sing that??" since that was the only way I had ever heard it. She ended up singing it as a ballad and it was beautiful!!
can't wait for this blue moon!!
