The second full moon of the month is called the Blue Moon in astronomy, which is associated not with the hue of the satellite, but with the idiom in English - “Once in a Blue Moon”, which translates as “Once upon a Blue Moon” and is equivalent to the expression “After the rain on Thursday”. This phenomenon occurs every 3-4 years, when the date of one of the full moons falls at the beginning of a calendar month, and the next one occurs just before the end of the same month. Usually there are 12 full moons in a year and each has its own name; the Blue Moon is the 13th full moon, which sometimes happens in some years.
In fact, on rare occasions, the moon can take on a bluish tint. For example, on cold winter nights, when ice crystals in the air form a halo around the moon, scattering of moonlight occurs, which causes this effect (light from the blue part of the spectrum is scattered in the atmosphere much better than red).
Also, an unusual shade of the moon can appear as a result of a volcanic eruption - for example, in 1883, the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa erupted, which was so powerful that columns of ash rose into the air. top part atmosphere. The ash particles absorbed the red wavelengths of the spectrum, causing the moon to appear blue (sometimes green) for several years. Volcanologist Scott Rowland from the University of Hawaii said that the sun then turned lavender color, and the sunsets were so bright red that in New York and some other cities people called the fire department, expecting a fire.
One way or another, it is the rarity of such events (two full moons in one month, the moon has a bluish tint) that gave rise to the English proverb “Once in a Blue Moon” - something that happens very rarely. The calendar was compiled for the city of Moscow.
Select year: Popular lunar calendarsThe Moon can become blue, and even together with the Sun - the science department of Gazeta.Ru talks about the conditions under which this can happen, at the same time explaining the history of the origin of the expression “blue Moon” and recalling that the current “blue” Moon is it's just an image.
A Blue Moon Hovered over the News
The “Blue” Moon will rise on July 31”, “Muscovites will be able to observe the “Blue” Moon this coming night”, “The Blue” Moon is hanging over Russia”, these are the headlines in the Russian media on Friday. English-language publications are not far behind them: “Blue” Moon: a rare cosmic phenomenon will shine in the sky”, “Find the “blue” Moon tonight”, “A rare “blue” Moon will end the month”.
Strictly speaking, the vast majority of messages contained completely correct information: they said that the “blue” Moon phenomenon means a situation where there are two full moons in one calendar month.
Let us explain: the period between two full moons - a lunar month - lasts 29.53 Earth days. And the average length of a calendar month (taking into account leap year) is 30.4375 days. Over 33 months, this difference “adds up” to an entire lunar month - as a result of which it turns out that there are two full moons in one calendar month.
These calculations have nothing to do with the color of the Moon: to put it simply in simple language, it moves itself and moves, regardless of how the calendar is arranged on Earth. That is, if on Earth one month lasted 60 days, then the “blue” Moon would be observed every such month, and, obviously, no one would pay attention to this ordinary fact.
The next “blue” Moon will be observed in January 2018.
"The topic is stupid"
To discuss whether this material should not be included in the “obscurantism” section, correspondents from the science department of Gazeta.Ru attracted a senior researcher from the SAI of Moscow State University. He was asked whether news about the blue moon should appear in the media and what is its meaning: is it the spread of some kind of obscurantism or the awakening of interest in science?
Popov replied that this was not obscurantism, but he himself would not have written the news if he were the media workers: “I’m just not interested and it doesn’t seem important.”
“But someone might argue that the statement still exists, they will still write about it, and therefore it is important to write a reasonable text, although the topic is stupid,” Popov continued. - I would probably say that the place of such texts is in Wikipedia, encyclopedias, etc. And then man of sense, having seen “bad news” on this topic, he either googles it himself, or quickly stumbles upon a link to an encyclopedic-type resource on social networks. Probably, if the news de facto caused a stir in the yellow media, then in a normal media I would limit myself to brief material with reference to good encyclopedic resources (if any). And if they are not there, then you can already spend time on a note, but immediately upload it to Wikipedia.”
Whistling crayfish on the mountain after the rain on Thursday
It has become common practice in the English-speaking world to call two full moons falling within the same calendar month with the phrase “blue” Moon. On English language The expression once in a blue moon is literally translated as “once in a blue moon,” but it means “once in a hundred years,” “once in a century,” “never,” or “even very rarely.”
An analogue of this saying in Russian is the expression “when the cancer whistles on the mountain” (that is, perhaps never) or “after the rain on Thursday.”
The earliest mention of the use of the expression “blue moon” in the meaning of something unrealizable and incredible is found in the collection “Rede me and be nott wrothe, for I say no thynge but trothe” (approximate translation from medieval English is: “Read my text and write not another, for all that I have said is true"), published in 1528. This book contains very frivolous pamphlets directed against the Roman clergy and, in particular, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Lord Chancellor of the Kingdom of England in 1515-1529.
At this time, Henry VIII was on the throne, who, with Wolsey’s blessing, preferred to have fun and change wives (there is a famous film), while in reality it was Wolsey who ruled the country.
The passage with the moon in this collection looks like this:
“Church ministers are like sly foxes,
if they say that the moon is blue,
We must believe in these words.”
(translation by Yana Khlustova)
Can the Moon be blue?
However, sometimes the Moon in the sky can actually take on a blue color - and this is not only the case when the observer looks at it through a blue filter. In 1950, residents of the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia suffered from peat fires in the Chinchaga Valley, a tributary of the Hay River. This fire became the largest in the history of North America.
Besides environmental problems, the fire caused an interesting optical effect: the Moon and even the Sun acquired a pronounced blue tint.
This happened due to large (more than 1 micron - 0.000001 meter) particles that entered the atmosphere as a result of the fire. Smoke from the fire spread to half of the Earth's Northern Hemisphere. As a result, the blue moon was seen in the United States and even in Europe.
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The Blue Moon is the second Full Moon in the same month. This phenomenon is quite rare, since we can observe it once every 2.7 years. This happens because in lunar month only 29.53 days, which is significantly less than the number of days in the calendar. Therefore, sometimes in a year we see not 12, but as many as 13 Full Moons.
Many people ask whether the Moon will turn blue and why is this phenomenon called a Blue Moon? No, the Moon will not turn blue and will continue to delight us with its usual appearance. A beautiful figurative name borrowed from English expression“Once in a Blue Moon”, the equivalent of our expression “After the rain on Thursday”.
There will be two Full Moons in March
On March 2 at 3:51 Moscow time the first Full Moon in March will occur. It will be at 15 lunar day and the transit of the Moon in Virgo. This Full Moon will bring our attention to duty and responsibilities, as well as the small details that make up our lives. From the moment of this Full Moon, you will be able to streamline your life and put everything in order.
On March 31 at 15:37 Moscow time, the second Full Moon in March will occur, which is also called the Blue Moon. This Full Moon will occur during the 14th lunar day and the Moon in Libra.
How will the Blue Moon in March 2018 affect our lives?
The Blue Moon in March 2018 will occur during the Moon in Libra. This means that we will need to harmonize our lives and find balance. On the one hand, there will be issues of work, fulfilling one’s duty and obligations, on the other hand there will be personal relationships and enjoying life.
This Full Moon is very strong, since it fell on the day of the second chance to start all over again - the 14th lunar day. On this Full Moon, you can make a Map of Desires and rituals to attract various benefits into your life. And they will be very strong.
The Blue Moon in March 2018 will help you see how balanced your life is, whether there is harmony or imbalance in it. If on this Full Moon you feel inner peace, a desire to create and enjoy life, there is harmony in your life. If your mood changes every minute and you feel internal discomfort, then it’s time to change something.
The full moon at the end of March 2018 will greatly influence the future. That is why on this Full Moon it is important to talk and think only about what you want, to do things that lead to your goals.
On this day you cannot be lazy, drink alcohol, smoke, or quarrel with anyone. People become inattentive and careless. During the Full Moon, the risk of accidents and injuries increases, as does the number of crimes. Be careful and take care of yourself.
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On January 31, 2018, the so-called Blue Moon could be observed in many countries around the world. What is this and how can such a phenomenon affect our lives?
What is Blue Moon
In the scientific community, the Blue Moon is usually called the third full moon in the astronomical season, which has four full moons instead of three. In this case, the calculation is carried out according to the system of the tropical year, which begins on the day of the winter solstice. In accordance with the usual monthly calendar, this term refers to the second full moon in one calendar month.
The name of the phenomenon is not due to the fact that the Moon turns blue; it comes from the English idiomatic expression “Once in a blue moon,” which means a rare event. A very comprehensive definition of it was given back in 1946 by the American amateur astronomer James High Pratt: “Seven times in a 19-year cycle there are years with 13 full moons. This gives us 11 months with one full moon and one month with two. This second one, as far as I understand, will be the Blue Moon.”
Unique match
This is exactly what happened on January 31 of this year. However, this time the situation was, one might say, unique, since the Blue Moon coincided with a partial lunar eclipse and a supermoon - this is the name for the effect when the Earth’s satellite visually increases by 14% (compared to minimum size), and its brightness increases by 30%. For example, on January 31, the Moon approached the Earth at a distance of 359 thousand kilometers. IN last time Such a coincidence of three rather rare astronomical events at once took place in 1982, and it will happen again only in 2037.
In fact, the Moon at this time has the most common color - ash-gray. Sometimes you can actually observe a blue tint in the Earth's satellite, but this is an extremely rare optical effect associated with the peculiarities of the scattering of light rays.
The current Moon is also called “bloody”, since at the moment of its exit from the earth’s shadow the satellite due to refraction sun rays turns red.
Why is the Blue Moon dangerous?
There are many myths associated with lunar phenomena. So, it is believed that on the days of full moons and lunar eclipses people's psyche becomes unstable, they lose control over themselves, resulting in more conflicts, crimes, and accidents.
The moon really influences various processes happening on Earth. It has been scientifically proven that supermoons cause earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, tornadoes, melting glaciers and other natural disasters. All this is explained by lunar gravity. During the supermoon there are also strong magnetic storms, so many may feel headache and pressure surges. Doctors advise these days to those who have problems with cardiovascular or nervous system, reduce the load as much as possible.
Recently, American scientists conducted a study in which they analyzed more than 13 thousand fatal accidents in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia from 1975 to 2014. Only accidents that occurred at night were considered. It turned out that most of them happened on full moon nights. The number of fatal accidents also increased during supermoons.
But the fact that the position of the Moon in the sky affects the exacerbation of mental disorders and increases the likelihood of injuries and epileptic seizures has not been confirmed. In any case, experts from the University of Washington did not find any pattern here. Although they do not deny that belief in the destructive influence of the Moon can cause a negative psychosomatic effect. And as a result, the person will feel weak, apathetic, and may become a victim of a panic attack.
The Blue Moon also threatens equipment failures. NASA is very concerned about this. This time, on January 31, 2018, due to a combination of three astronomical phenomena, the instruments installed on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter had to be turned off. artificial satellite Moons. “We started the engine to position the satellite in the best position - we have to keep it in the light for as long as we can. In other words, we minimized the time it spends in the shadows,” comments NASA employee Noah Petro.
In general, there is no mysticism; all problems associated with the Moon are explained by purely physical effects.