No, the Moon doesn’t really look blue like this at any time, nor did I take this picture today! I took this picture at 4:36 AM CDT last September 22, 2010 (9:36 UTC), and this is what came out when I was playing with the “aqua” setting on my cell phone camera. The Moon was almost, but not quite full that night. But since today’s Full Moon is called a Blue Moon by an old reckoning, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to bring this picture out! By this reckoning, if there are four Full Moons within one season, the third is called a Blue Moon. If you’re wondering why the upcoming December 21 Full Moon isn’t the first one of Winter, it’s because it squeaks in just hours before the solstice, making it the last one of four in Autumn.
More about the Blue Moon at Journey To the Stars and at Yahoo! News.
Alas, persistent clouds have been hampering astronomy at my point on the terrestrial globe, and show no signs of letting up, so I will miss the “Blue Moon” this time, alas. But I’ll be happy if the weather cooperates for the next Full Moon on December 21, since it features a Total Lunar Eclipse ideally timed for my locale! (UPDATE: I just fixed that link, so it goes to the NASA info about the upcoming eclipse, just as I originally intended.)
UPDATE: The clouds parted after all! Stop back for a new post about this weekend’s observations.
No Blue Moon celebration is complete without Rogers & Harts’ classic song. Here’s my favorite version, the one by The Marcels:
I almost forgot – as usual, my Moon picture was taken with the 8″ f8 homebuilt reflector, 25mm eyepiece, and LG VX8360 cell phone camera. Usually I use the “black and white” or “natural” color settings, but just for fun I might use the “aqua” setting “once in a blue moon” …
Blue Moon! « Michael W. Peterson…
Here at World Spinner we are debating the same thing……