This Weekend’s Rare Blue Moon

To describe a blue moon, it is a third full moon in a season containing four full moons. It is a beautiful sight that has become almost artistic in its way, being a muse for singers, painters, and many other artists who use the blue moon as the muse for their work.

For those of you who are in the Americas this weekend, you will be able to see a nearly full moon Saturday night. NASA says that the moon will reach its highest point on Sunday morning around 1:04 a.m Eastern time.

This full blue moon was given its name through a rarer occassion than just itself. According to Sky & Telescope, the moon becomes blue when “volcanic eruptions or forest fires send lots of smoke and fine dust into the atmosphere.” However, despite the moon not likely to take on its blue hue this year, it would still be a sight to see since a full blue moon happens once every 2.7 years.

This sighting is the perfect occasion for a night out, perhaps even a little star-seeing to remove those claustrophobic blues of being in the Covid era. However, if you do happen to miss this weekend’s moon sighting, there are definitely others that are coming soon. The Harvest Moon will appear on September 20th, with the Cold Moon appearing on December 18th. The Beaver Moon will be happening on November the 19th, and the Hunter’s moon on October 20th.

For more information on astronomical sightings, you can visit the NASA website to learn more.