Thursday, August 30, 2012

Will Friday's 'Blue' Moon be Blue?

Watch Out for the Blue Moon




August 29, 2012: When someone says "Once in a Blue Moon," you know what they mean:  Rare, seldom, even absurd.
This year it means August 31st.
For the second time this month, the Moon is about to become full.  There was one full Moon on August 1st/2nd, and now a second is coming on August 31st.  According to modern folklore, whenever there are two full Moons in a calendar month, the second one is "blue."
Cue up the Elvis records! "Blue Moon…. You saw me standing alone, without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own." In song and literature, blue moons have long symbolized lost love and melancholy. Elvis set the standard for lunar heartbreak in his 1956 pop hit "Blue Moon."
Watch Out for the Blue Moon (splash)
A new ScienceCast video explores the facts and myths of Blue Moons. Play it
But will the moody Moon of August 31st actually turn blue?  Probably not.

More: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/29aug_bluemoon/

Source: NASA Science News.

Convoluted History Of The Blue Moon

Posted by under Science&Technology |
 
Convoluted History Of The Blue Moon, Friday’s lunar sky-watching opportunity is special, but not because of the color. Blue Moon Science: Friday’s Full Moon Explained, With a so-called “blue moon” set to rise in the night sky this Friday (Aug. 31), you may find yourself wondering: Just what is a blue moon, exactly? And where does the term come from?

More: http://usinform.com/2012/08/convoluted-history-of-the-blue-moon.html

Source: USInform.com .

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
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Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit

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