7.31.2015

Blue Moon Hype!

This is what the Full Moon looks like from Earth:



It doesn't matter if it's a Super Moon, Blue Moon, Strawberry Moon, etc. This is what it looks like. It may be imperceptibly larger, or smaller, but it always looks like this when it's full and sufficiently above the horizon. Ignore the media hype, but enjoy the Moon!

As my friend John Rummel wrote:
The "truth" about the blue moon: there's no such thing. Full moons occur every 29.5 days. There are 365.25 days in a year. If you do the math, that means there are slightly more full moons per year than months, on average (about one extra lunar phase cycle every 3 years or so). If you accept the definition of blue moon as the second full moon of a calendar month, then you can see that it's just a mathematical reality that this MUST happen about once every three years or so because of the length of our months. There is NO astronomical, mythological or horological significance. NONE. Then there's the fact that this use of the phrase "blue moon" is very recent, so there's even no historical significance. It just seems to be an excuse to blow up Facebook newsfeeds every now and then. 
Full Moon © 2015 Mike McDowell