The Moon Is Blue
Today's full moon is a "once in a blue moon" full moon. OK, I know many of you are saying "Un momento amico! There is only 1 full moon this month & this it can nae be una luna blu." Well folks you are right, but you are also wrong. Today's full moon is blue. & I don't mean it is depressed.
It turns out that there are more than 1 definition of what a blue moon is out there. The 2nd one in a month that we usually think of is only 1 type of blue moon. The type I am refering to is actually an older definition of blue moon & the 1 that applies to today's Moon.
The older definition refered to the third full moon in a quarter of the year when there were four full moons. Normally a quarter year has three full moons. By quarter year we are refering to a season, in this year's case Autumn.
I am sure someone has drug out a calendar & is saying wait a minute. The next full moon is on 21 December 2010. & that is also the 1st day of Winter in the Northern hemisphere (Summer in the Southern). Well Winter may begin on 21 December, but not before the Moon is full on 21 December.
We have to remember that the Moon is only technically full for very short time. That time for today is 11:29 am CST.
Now let's once again fast forward to 21 December. You already have your 1st clue as to why that full moon is the 4th of Autumn. The December time when the Moon will be full is 2:13 am CST. (Which means for a few places on Earth it will be full on the 20th.) The 2nd fact that we have to remember is that Winter doesn't actually start until the moment known as the solstice. In this case the sun is at the solstice point on 5:38 pm CST. So we have a 15 hr & 25 minute gap between the full moon & the Winter Solstice in the Northern hemisphere (Summer in the Southern).
So today's full moon is truly a blue moon. Unfortunately, those of us in the Americas won't be able to see it when is actually full we can still celebrate the fact that today is a red letter day where we celebrate the fact that the Moon is blue!!!!!
& what better way to celebrate than with the great classic Rogers & Hart song. All together now:
"Blue Moon, you saw me standin' alone
Without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own"
posted by Al @ 11:29 AM
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