TT #42: once in a blue moon

Thirteen things about the blue moon A blue moon is a second full moon to occur in a single calendar month. "Once in a blue moon" means not very often. Some sources say that in 2007, there is a blue moon in June. Others say that the blue moon actually occurs in May. Who is right? Well, you could see a blue moon in May, June or even July, but it depends where in the world you live. Look here to find out. There are historical examples of the moon actually turning blue. When the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa exploded in 1883, its dust turned sunsets green and the moon blue all around the world for the best part of two years. In 1927, the Indian monsoons were late arriving and the extra-long dry season blew up enough dust for a blue moon. And moons in northeastern North America turned blue in 1951 when huge forest fires in western Canada threw smoke particles up into the sky. The next month with two full moons (for both North America and Europe) is December 2009, and the next after that is August 2012. Originally, the definition was different. Seasonal moon names are assigned near the spring equinox in accordance with the Christian ecclesiastical (church-) rules for determining the dates of Easter and Lent. The beginnings of summer, fall and winter are determined by the dynamical mean Sun. When a season contains four full moons, the third is called a blue moon. That's because only then will the names of the other full moons, such as the Moon Before Yule and the Moon After Yule, fall at the proper times relative to the solstices and equinoxes. A blue moon happens about seven times every 19 years, roughly once every three years. The rare phenomenon of two blue moons occurring in the same year happens approximately once every 19 years (four or five times in a hundred years). It last happened in 1999, the next year of double blue moons is coming up in 2018. Two full moons in one month may occur in any month out of the year except for February, which is shorter than the lunar cycle. Therefore, it is the only month in which it is possible for there to be no full moon, a phenomenon which goes hand-in-hand with the "double blue moon" (usually one in January and one in March). "Blue moon" appears to have been a colloquial expression long before it developed its calendrical senses. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first reference to a blue moon comes from a proverb recorded in 1528: "If they say the moon is blue, We must believe that it is true." Saying the moon was blue was equivalent to saying the moon was made of green (or cream) cheese; it indicated an obvious absurdity. In the 19th century, the phrase "until a blue moon" developed, meaning "never." The phrase "once in a blue moon" today has come to mean "every now and then" or "rarely"—whether it gained that meaning through association with the lunar event remains uncertain. A full moon on Halloween is always a blue moon, it happens three or four times per century. The 21st century has an unusually large number of Halloween blue moons, five or six to be exact (depending on where you live). Double new moons also occur every two or three years, just like double full moons, but fewer people notice them. The second new moon is called the Black Moon, and any magic worked during that period is deemed to be especially powerful. According to certain folklore, it is said that when there is a blue moon, the moon has a face and talks to the items in its moonlight. Everybody knows the song "Blue Moon", recorded by many artists around the world. For example this video shows Dean Martin singing the song in his show. A blue moon is a special time of magic. Wishes made during a blue moon are said to last until the next blue moon. It has an awesome power which can lend energy to any working done during this powerful phase. If you want to know when there is (or was) a blue or black moon, use the Moon Calculator. sources: Obliquity Sky & Telescope Inconstant Moon InfoPlease Earth & Sky NASA Am I the only one that can't visit the TT-site? Ever since last week Wednesday midnight I'm getting an error page. I can see part of the posts in my Google Reader though. It's quite annoying! ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ Gabriella Hewitt ~*~ Nathalie ~*~ N.J. 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