Monday, May 28, 2007

291- ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

JUST WHAT DOES IT MEAN, WHEN DOES IT OCCUR AND WHY?
What it means: Origin of the term: The phrase "Once in a blue Moon" was first noted in 1824 and refers to occurrences that are uncommon, though not truly rare. Yet, to have two full Moons in the same month is not as uncommon as one might think... When does it occur? In fact, it occurs, on average, about every 32 months. And in the year 1999, it occurred twice in a span of just three months!... The next occurrence: Thursday, May 31 brings us the second of two full Moons for North Americans this month. Some almanacs and calendars assert that when two full Moons occur within a calendar month, that the second full Moon is called the "Blue Moon." The full Moon that night will likely look no different than any other full Moon. But the Moon can change color in certain conditions. And why is that, you might ask?..... After forest fires or volcanic eruptions, the Moon can appear to take on a bluish or even lavender hue. Soot and ash particles, deposited high in the Earth's atmosphere can sometimes make the Moon appear bluish... There is your scientific lesson for the day, I hope you have learned something new. Now for the romantics.... I'll leave that up to you and yours.
Now have a lovely evening! ......GED.......

1 comment:

Pj said...

There is some debate about Blue Moons.
Sky and Telescope originally and incorrectly published the 2nd full moon in a month definition.
Check out Wikipedia (good explanation)or Sky and Telescope magazine online for more information.