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The term "blue moon" comes from folklore. Different traditions and conventions place the extra "blue" full moon at different times in the year .In calculating the dates for Lent and Easter the Clergy identify the Lent Moon. It is thought that historically when the moons timing was too early, they named an earlier moon as a "betrayer moon" (belewe moon), thus the Lent moon came at its expected time.Folklore gave each moon a name according to its time of year. A moon that came too early had no folk name, and was called a blue moon, retaining the correct seasonal timings for future moons .The Farmers Almanac defined blue moon as an extra full moon that occurred in a season; one season was normally three full moons. If a season had four full moons, then the third full moon was named a blue moon.Recent popular usage defined a blue moon as the second full moon in a calendar month, stemming from an interpretation error made in 1946 that was discovered in 1999. For example, December 31, 2009 was a blue moon according to this usage.
A "blue moon" is also used colloquially to mean "a rare event", reflected in the phrase "once in a blue moon". The most literal meaning of blue moon is when the moon (not necessarily a full moon) appears to a casual observer to be unusually bluish, which is a rare event. The effect can be caused by smoke or dust particles in the atmosphere, as has happened after forest fires in Sweden and Canada in 1950 and 1951
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoA "blue moon" simply refers to the second full moon within one calendar month. This can occur when there is one full moon at the very start of the month, so that the next full moon can occur within the same month (approximately 28 days later).
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoBecause they do not happen frequently. They are things that are not really seen happening very often. That is why it is called 'once in a blue moon'. A blue moon is the second full moon in a month and rarely happens.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoBlue moons aren't really blue. The saying "once in a blue moon" refers to the second full moon in a month, which is very rare. The second full moon is the "blue moon."
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Why do we only see the full moon once a month?
Yes sometimes there are 2 full moons during one month. These do not happen very often and the second full moon is called a 'blue moon', hence the expression, "once in a blue moon".
What are the names of the two full moons in one month?
That's a "Blue Moon" . . . the second Full Moon in the same CALENDAR month.The cycle of moon-phases is 29 days, so there has to be a full moon on the 1st or 2nd of the month,in order to have another one before the end of the month.December 2009 will have Full Moons on the 2nd and the 31st. That will be the first time in a little over 3 years.
Is it possible to have a blue moon and a solar eclipse at the same time?
No. A blue moon happens when there is a second full moon. A solar eclipse happens when there is a new moon and it is right between the sun and the earth. But it is possible to have a blue moon and a lunar eclipse at the same time.
What is the date of next blue moon?
The next Blue Moon, according to folklore, will be August 31, 2012.
A lunar eclipse can only happen during a?
Lunar eclipses happen at the full moon.
What is the idiom for things that happen rarely?
"once in a blue moon"
Will the next blue moon happen over the US?
Blue Moons aren't like solar eclipses - they don't just happen to a certain part of the Earth. A blue moon is just the name for the event where a full moon happens twice in the same month; The second full moon in that month is called a "blue moon". You can see the moon from anywhere on the Earth in a 24 hour period, so yes, the next blue moon will happen "over" the US.
When did Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon happen?
Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon happened in 2005.
What percentage of people know what a blue moon is?
A blue Moon is when 2 full moons happen in 1 month.
When does a blue moon happen?
A blue moon is any full moon that happens to be the second full moon in a calendar month. Therefore blue moons invariably happen near the end of a month. As the lunar cycle is just about 28 days, it would be a very rare occurrence for one to happen at the end of February, but otherwise they are a natural phenomenon.
Are there such things as Blue Tornadoes?
No their are no such things as blue tornadoes only GOD can make that happen
The second full moon in any month is called a?
The second full moon of any month is called a 'blue moon'. It is a rare occurrence. The saying 'once in a blue moon' means that something does not happen very often.
Why do people refer to an infrequent event as happening once in a blue moon?
A blue moon occurs when two full moons happen in one month. Since one full moon occurs every 28 days, it doesn't happen very often, hence the phrase.
What is lunar activity?
Things that happen in or on or to the Moon are called "lunar activity".
Why do we only see the full moon once a month?
Yes sometimes there are 2 full moons during one month. These do not happen very often and the second full moon is called a 'blue moon', hence the expression, "once in a blue moon".
How often does two full moons happen in one month?
Once in a blue moon! Well that is what the second full moon in a month is called, a blue moon. It is very irregular, sometimes it can happen multiple times a year or even two months in a row. Other times it can be years between them.
What is the origin of the expression Once in a blue moon?
Once in a very long time or takes ages to happen A "blue moon" is when there is a full moon twice in a calendar month-which IS rare, but occurs, on average, every 2.5 years.
