A rare instance in the Universe: the Blue Moon - today (31st)!
Posted on: 31/Oct/2020 1:31:57 PM
Generally, the term ‘blue moon’ is used to refer to the occasion when there is 2nd Full |Moon Day within a single month. It is informed that there is no connection between this phenomenon and the colour of the moon!
However, there are occasions when the moon on a Full |Moon is of a lustrous blue colour! Generally, both the New Moon Day and the Full Moon Day occur only once in a calendar month. Only on some occasions, 2 full moon days occur in a month. This 2nd Full |Moon Day is generally referred to as a ’Blue Moon Day’! However, it won’t be blue in colour. It would be just like any other |Full |Moon Day. However, a scientific name – ‘Blue Moon’ – is given to this phenomenon.
Aravind Paranjpe, the Director of the Mumbai, Maharashtra Nehru Planetarium explained regarding this:
“The 1st |Full |Moon Day during the current month of |October occurred on the 1st of the month The 2nd Full |Moon Day of October is on 31st at 08.19 PM. It takes 29.513 days or 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 38 seconds for one complete revolution by itself.
When considering the additional time, a ‘blue moon’ occasion occurs once every 30 months.
As there are only 28 or 29 days in the month of February, there are absolutely no chances for a ‘Blue Moon’ to occur in this month! Thus, the next Blue |Moon is slated to occur on 31st August, 2023! The last Blue Moon occurred on 31st |March 2018.
Astronomy Academician Geoffrey Hunt mentions that it is rather difficult to photograph this phenomenon. In case you try clicking the Blue Moon on your smartphone, you will be disappointed! However, he observed that taking a photograph utilising a telephoto lens may enable to capture it in a somewhat larger form!
