Sunday, January 31, 1999
A night like this happens once in a blue moon
BY JOHN JOHNSTON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A blue moon will perch in the sky tonight, but it won't have a blue hue. Another blue moon comes our way in March. It won't appear blue, either.
So why are they dubbed “blue” moons? That's become the common term for the second full moon within a single month.
This is the first year since 1980 for two blue moons in the same year, says Roger Sinnot, an associate editor for Sky & Telescope magazine.
Sounds like a reason to celebrate, doesn't it? And in fact, the Blue Moon Saloon in Hyde Park is planning a big party today. Actually, general manager Jenny Engelhart said it's geared toward another, less celestial, event: the Super Bowl.
As for blue moons, “I haven't got a clue,” she acknowledged.
Usually, each month has one full moon. But the period between full moons (29.5 days on average) is less than an average month (30.4 days), so two full moons can slip into a single month.
A blue moon looks no different from other full moons.
Yet there are times when the moon does appear blue, said Deborah Boyd, an amateur astronomer who produces and co-hosts Earth & Sky, a syndicated radio series heard weekdays on WVXU-FM (91.7).
“A certain size of dust particles in the air can cause the moon to look blue. It can happen after a volcanic eruption; another time I've heard of it happening is after a forest fire.”
Such events inspired the phrase “once in a blue moon,” which refers to something that seldom happens, as in: Once in a blue moon, the Atlanta Falcons play in the Super Bowl.
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