You might have heard about the Blue Moon phenomenon. But do you really know what a blue moon is? Well, there are two different definitions of blue moon. Both of them are interesting and you need to know both of them to get a clear idea about the blue moon phenomenon.
First of all, let me make it clear that the term Blue Moon has nothing to do with the color. It is just another ordinary full moon. And there is nothing special about the color of the moon.
According to the older definition, a blue moon is the third full moon in a season that has four full moons.
But the author of the ‘Sky and Telescope’ article misinterpreted this complicated definition, declaring that a Blue Moon is actually the second full moon in a month with two full moons.
First of all, let me make it clear that the term Blue Moon has nothing to do with the color. It is just another ordinary full moon. And there is nothing special about the color of the moon.
According to the older definition, a blue moon is the third full moon in a season that has four full moons.
The term Blue Moon was first traced by ‘Sky and Telescope’ magazine in 1946. Then, the term apparently referred to the third full moon in a season that contains four full moons.
Normally, a season of three months contains only three full moons. But, due to the shorter length of lunar months (29.5 days) compared to solar months, four full moons occasionally get squeezed into a single season.
But the author of the ‘Sky and Telescope’ article misinterpreted this complicated definition, declaring that a Blue Moon is actually the second full moon in a month with two full moons.
In 1980, the new (and wrong) meaning attained widespread usage as it was used during a broadcast of the radio show. And in 1981, the unscientific term became a general knowledge as the developer of a game defined the term as it was defined by the ‘Sky and Telescope’ author.
According to the recent and more popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. For a blue moon to occur, the first of the full moons must appear at or near the beginning of the month so that the second will fall within the same month. This is because of the fact that the average span between two moons is 29.5 days. On average, blue moons come along once every 2.7 years.
According to the recent and more popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. For a blue moon to occur, the first of the full moons must appear at or near the beginning of the month so that the second will fall within the same month. This is because of the fact that the average span between two moons is 29.5 days. On average, blue moons come along once every 2.7 years.
