Has anyone every told you something outrageous to which you replied, “I’m sure that happens once in a blue moon”? Of course you have. Well, be prepared to eat your words, because this Friday, July 31st, we will be having a blue moon.
Will the moon actually be blue?
No. Sorry about that. If the moon actually ever looks blue, that’s because there’s some atmospheric event in the world that is distorting its color because of a sort of haze in the atmosphere.
Well then what is a Blue Moon?
A blue moon could be one of two possible things. First off, it could be the second full moon in one month. The other example of a blue moon is the third full moon in an astronomical season that has four full moons with the ordinary being three. In either case, a blue moon is always a full moon. The original definition of a blue moon was the latter, though, if it happens, the former will as well.
Normally, a single year has four astronomical season. These are the same seasons as the regular ones: spring, summer, fall, and winter. Because each season takes up three months, there are normally three full moons. Sometimes there are four in a given year.
How do we know when we get them?
Astronomers have known for thousands of years the patterns that the moon will undergo and when. In fact, the phases of the moon are so well known that many calendars have the phases written in on the days they begin to occur. Based on its orbital location in regards to the earth and the sun, it will be in a different phase. A ‘New Moon’ is when you can’t see the moon. A moon that is in the ‘waxing’ phase will have the dark part on the left side, while a ‘waning’ moon has the dark part on the right side. There are various names for each phase that the moon is in.
So what have we learned?
We are going to have a blue moon on Friday the 31st, blue moons aren’t in fact blue, if the moon ever is blue, it’s because of a strange atmospheric event, and there are a lot of names for the phases of the moon.
