The Moon Phases

A Lunar Month

The lunar month is about 29.53 days, which is the time it takes to go from one new Moon to the next. During this time, the Moon orbits the Earth once and goes through the various phases that we observe from here on Earth.

Once In A Blue Moon

There is an old phrase, "once in a blue moon," meaning something is rare. For example, We go fishing at the lake once in a blue moon. In other words: We rarely go fishing at the lake.

What Is A "Blue Moon?"

Calendar Month Blue Moon Occasionally, there are two full Moons within the same month, a Monthly "Blue Moon," one toward the beginning and one toward the end of the month, with the latter defined as the Blue Moon. They occur only once every two to three years, so a Blue Moon is rare but not extremely rare. The most recent Blue Moon was on October 1 and October 31, 2020. The next Monthly Blue Moon will occur in August 2023; the first Full Moon will occur on August 1, and the second will occur on August 31.

Seasonal Blue Moon In the past, sometimes in the present, a Blue Moon was or is known as the third of four Full Moons in a season, a Seasonal Blue Moon. There are typically only three Full Moons each season: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. For example, if there were four Full Moons in the Spring, the third of these four is called a Blue Moon. The latest Seasonal Blue Moon was on August 22, 2021.

Does The Moon Turn Blue Sometimes? Although pictures of Blue Moons circulate on the Internet with claims of the Moon changing its color to blue, these are not authentic pictures, nor are such statements factual. A Blue Moon has nothing to do with having a blue color or tint. Instead, a Blue Moon appears like any other Full Moon. Although it's rarely possible to see an actual bluish-colored Moon, this effect is due to such things as smoke or dust particles in the atmosphere and not the Moon itself changing color