We all know Blue Moons occur from time to time. It’s the popular term to describe the second full moon in a single calendar month.
This month, there aren’t two full moons, instead there are two new moons! The first new moon is on 1st December and the second one for in the month is on the last day of the year, 31st December. New moon is a great time to visit the dark skies of WA’s countryside. It means it’s nice a dark to see so many more stars.
Use the above image as a guide. Astronomical images provided by SkySafari, a Simulation Curriculum Company, All rights reserved www.simulationcurriculum.com.
When and where to look:
The new moon will only just be visible and you may not be able to see if in the sunset light. Try at 7:45pm, 31st December. Very low to the western horizon.
Something Interesting:
The term blue moon has two definitions, depending on who you ask. In the 1930s, the Maine Farmers’ Almanac invented the name blue moon when it divided the year into four seasons, separating them with the equinoxes and solstices, giving a name to the three full moons in each season. Very occasionally, a season had four full moons instead of the usual three, and the blue moon was given to the third of the full moons.
Some time later, blue moon became the term to describe the second full moon in a single calendar month. Despite it not being the original definition, this is the one that seems to have become most popular. Whichever way you describe it, the Moon doesn’t appear blue, but despite that it’s still worth going out and watching the Moon, as blue moons only occur once every 2 or 3 years (depending on your definition).