Blue Moon for North Americans - 9:04 pm EDT, May 31st

Basically a Blue Moon refers to a second full moon in a month. Usually we just have one full moon in a month. But on rare occasions we may have two full moons in just one month. Currently, there are many definitions for this term. The other biggest misconception that people have is that during a blue moon night, moon appears blue. Though the moon has appeared to be blue very rarely due to the effect caused by smoke or dust particles in the atmosphere, it is not always true that moon turns blue on that day. So next time you hear about blue moon, please don't wait for a blue colored moon in the sky.

The term Blue Moon is around 400 years old. The Krakatoa Eruption had a global optical effect. Due to heavy amount of ash in the atmosphere due to the eruption, the moon appeared blue in the sky for almost 2 years.

North Americans are fortunate enough to view the second full moon in the sky on May 31st, 2007 (Thursday) at 9:04 pm Eastern Daylight Time. Astro-photographers can sent me their pictures on the email address provided on the left menu of this page and we can have those featured on the blog.

Ever tasted the Blue Moon Beer ? Try it !