Don't Forget: Blue Moon Tonight

Sorry, it won't be blue, though

By Polly Davis Doig, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 29, 2012 1:59 PM CDT
Updated Aug 31, 2012 2:46 PM CDT

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Coming Friday: Blue Moon — The Earth casts a faint shadow over the blue moon in a rare partial lunar eclipse a few hours into the New Year on Jan. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

A reminder for those who missed it: A blue moon will grace the skies tonight, although Space.com has a primer for those who might be mistakenly expecting a change in the moon's color. While dust particles in the atmosphere can in fact make the moon at times appear blueish, the term "blue moon," which has a somewhat confusing history, generally refers to the second full moon in a calendar month. And they occur more frequently than the phrase "once in a blue moon" might have you believe: every 2.7 years. The last one happened to fall on New Year's Eve 2009. (Read more Blue Moon stories.)