Who knew that tonight’s beautiful full moon was a Blue Moon? According to this LA Times article a Blue Moon doesn’t always mean the second full moon in the same month.
“There are actually two definitions for the term.
A blue moon is usually defined as the second full moon to occur in a single calendar month. Most of the time there is just one full moon per month, but occasionally there are two. Under this definition, the last blue moon occurred on Aug. 31, 2012, and the next one will occur July 2015.
But there is another definition of blue moon that probably preceded the more familiar one. As Sky & Telescope explains, the original meaning of blue moon, as used by the Maine Farmers’ Almanac, was the third moon of four in a season. Most of the time there are just three moons in a single season, but every once in a while, there are four moons in that time. The extra moon is called the blue moon.
Tuesday night’s blue moon is an extra summer moon — the third moon of four in the season that started on the June solstice and ends with the September equinox.”
So now you know! Enjoy tonight’s beautiful blue moon. The attached picture was taken this evening in Lovettsville.
