File:Chasing_Chandrayaan_and_the_super_blue_Moon_ESA25063943.gif · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
blue moon
Sign in to saveextra full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: either the third of four full moons in a season, or a second full moon in a month of the common calendar
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Blue Super Moon - Flickr - gailhampshire (1).jpg
Show 1 more fact
- Commons category
- Blue moon
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~17 min read
Article
A blue moon refers to the presence of a second full moon in a calendar month, the third full moon in a season containing four, or a moon that appears blue due to atmospheric effects.
The calendrical meaning of "blue moon" is unconnected to the other meanings. It is often referred to as "traditional", but since no occurrences are known prior to 1937 it is better described as an invented tradition or "modern American folklore". The practice of designating the second full moon in a month as "blue" originated with amateur astronomer James Hugh Pruett in 1946. It does not come from Native American lunar tradition, as is sometimes supposed.