What Is a Blue Moon and When Is the Next One?
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By timeanddate.com.
On August 30/31, 2023, a Blue Moon will shine brightly in the night sky. It is a monthly Full Moon—the second Full Moon in August. And no, it will not turn blue.
This is also a Super Full Moon, making it a Super Blue Moon.
What Is a Blue Moon?
There are two different definitions for a Blue Moon. A seasonal Blue Moon is the third Full Moon of an astronomical season that has four Full Moons. A monthly Blue Moon is the second Full Moon in a calendar month with two Full Moons.
Catch the Super Blue Moon in August
See the Super Blue Moon on August 31, 2023. Also during the month: a Super Sturgeon Moon on August 1 and a Micro New Moon on August 16.
When Is the Next Blue Moon?
The next monthly Blue Moon is on August 30/31, 2023.
The next seasonal Blue Moon takes place on August 19/20, 2024.
Since both of them happen in August, they are traditionally called Sturgeon Moons.
Names of all the Full Moons in a year
Why Is It Called a Blue Moon?
The historical origins of the term and its two definitions are shrouded in a bit of mystery and, by many accounts, an interpretation error.
Some believe that the term “blue moon” meaning something rare may have originated from when smoke and ashes after a volcanic eruption turned the Moon blue. Others trace the term’s origin to over 400 years ago—folklorist Philip Hiscock has suggested that invoking the Blue Moon once meant that something was absurd and would never happen.
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