What’s a ‘Blue Moon’

They told us in a Sky and Telescope Article in 1946 that the phrase ‘Blue Moon’ is derived from Mother Nature’s gift of enabling two Full Moon Phases to fall in the same calendar month and as this is a rare event, occurring roughly every two to three years, the saying ‘Once in a Blue Moon’ is based on this happenstance, and used colloquially to describe any event or circumstance which is considered a rare event.

January 2010 has been one of those rare lunar events and we have had two Full Moon Phases in one calendar month. The first Full Moon Phase in this event is referred to a ‘Rose Moon’ and this fell on January 1st and the second Full Moon Phase, the ‘Blue Moon’, began it’s cycle again on January 31st.

In 1999, the media’s attention was captured by the unusual pattern of two Full Moon Phases falling, not only in one, but, in two separate months that year: January and March which naturally, left February without a Full Moon Phase at all. This lunar phenomenon triggered the public’s interest, for it appeared, it was the first time the public’s attention had been brought to our skies to notice this lunar oddity.

Following widespread media coverage of the event and an article written by Phillip Hiscock a folklorist, who told the World about the definition of a ‘Blue Moon’, a Universal acceptance arose to embrace the second Full Moon to fall in one calendar month as being referred to as a ‘Blue Moon’.

Roger Sinnott et al, writing for a publication called Sky & Telescope in 1999 disagreed strongly with the article written by folklorist Philip Hiscock, and told the World ‘The trendy definition of a ‘Blue Moon’ as the second Full Moon in a month is a mistake.’ But, the hilarious part of the tale is it was THEIR mistake all be it from 53 years ago…

How The Mistake Was Found After 53 Years!!

In 1999, Phillip Hiscock for his article, had traced the ‘Lunar calendrical’ meaning of the term ‘Blue Moon’ to an article published in The Sky & Telescope magazine in March 1946, which had inadvertently misconstrued the interpretation given in the Maine Farmers’ Almanac of the meaning ‘Blue Moon’ and the blunder had NOT been unearthed until the ‘detectives’ from The Sky & Telescope magazine stumbled upon it 53 years later and then not only did they not apologize, but called the error a ‘trendy’ misconception!

The Alternative ‘Blue Moon’ Meaning Using the ‘Tropical Calendar’

It seems the CORRECT definition for a ‘Blue Moon’ is NOT the second Full Moon Phase to fall in one calendar month but a ‘Relationship between Season’s’ when looking at the definition using the ‘Tropical calendar’ Sky & Telescope authors responded after obtaining 40 copies, apparently an outstanding accomplishment in itself, of the Maine Farmers’ Almanac for the years 1819 to 1962.

Which, according to the Sky & Telescope authors mention more than a dozen ‘Blue Moon’s’ and not one of those ‘mentions’ is in direct reference to the second Full Moon Phase to fall in one calendar month. They determined, after immense detective work, that the term ‘Blue Moon’ as used by the Maine Farmers’ Almanac was actually in connection with the four ‘seasons’ of the year and is the term given to an ‘extra’ moon in one ‘season’ and it is the THIRD of the four moons in that season that is know as a ‘Blue Moon’

It appears that the term ‘season’ is a connection with a seasonal pattern interconnecting the Northern Hemisphere’s winter and summer solstices and spring and fall equinoxes and their effect on producing the odd 13 Full Moon phase in the ‘Tropical calendar’ every second or third year.

Presenting The Evidence: Turns and Crosses

The evidence of this seasonal connection came in tables from the 1939 Main Farmers’ Almanac. Which showed the beginning of the seasons in question were ‘fixed’ by the R.A.M.S. (Right Ascension of the Means Sun)

The Almanac separately lists the ‘Turns and Crosses’ of the apparent Sun at the various solstices. The Sun will ‘turn’ from one direction to another direction in a declination, which refers to the angular distance of a point north or south of the celestial equator, during the solstices and ‘crosses’ the line of the celestial equator during the equinoxes.

They found the Maine Farmers’ Almanac began the calendar year, not on January 1st through December 31st, but on the seasons found in the ‘tropical year,’ which are defined as extending from one winter solstice referred to as ‘Yule’ to the next.

How The Name ‘Blue Moon’ Originated

Most tropical years contain 12 Full Moons, three each in season: winter, spring, summer and fall. With each Full Moon being named according to it’s appropriate ‘activity’ as defined by the time of year, for example a ‘Harvest Moon’ is the name given to the Full Moon Phase in autumn.

Historically, it is thought ‘Blue Moon’ came into being from when the Clergy calculated the dates for Lent and Easter, they identified with the Full Moon Phase of this time called the ‘Lent Moon’ and when the ‘extra’ Full Moon Phase was early, they named this moon a ‘Betrayer Moon’ in keeping with the era, this was spelt ‘belewe’ Moon and the next Full Moon Phase was named the ‘Lent Moon’ bringing all the following moon phases back to the ‘normal’ cycle of events.

So there you have it, the correct meaning of a ‘Blue Moon’ and believe me, it took me a lunar mission to decipher all the articles for you:)

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