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Credit & Copyright: Vic Winter,
ICSTARS
Explanation:
How often does a Full Moon occur twice in a single month? Exactly once in a
Blue Moon. In fact, the modern usage of the term
"Blue
Moon" refers to the second Full Moon in a single month. Tonight's
Blue
Moon
(Universal Time)
will be the first since September 1993.
A Blue
Moon typically occurs every few years.
The reason for the rarity of the
Blue Moon
is that the 29.53 days between full moons is
just slightly shorter than the number of days in the average month.
Don't, however, expect the moon to look blue tonight!
The
term "Blue Moon"
is thought to derive from common language expressions used hundreds of
years ago. It is possible for the Moon to appear tinged by a blue hue,
sometimes caused by fine dirt circulating in the Earth's
atmosphere, possibly from a volcanic explosion.
The above picture is of our
Moon taken was taken in a dark blue morning
sky. The bright crescent is the only part directly exposed to sunlight -
the rest of the
Moon glows from
sunlight reflected from the
Earth. In
this dramatic
photo, however, the planet
Jupiter is also visible along with its
four largest moons.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day