For most of us the moon has always been pretty cool.
We watched in wonder as Neil Armstrong landed on it. As children, the cow jumped over it and we were all convinced that it was made of cheese.
Tonight the moon will turn to a Blue Moon.
You might say we are a curious Cloud, so we turned to our friends and experts at Denver’s Museum of Nature and Science.
The Museum is also home to Gates Planetarium and Dr. Steve Lee.
Dr. Lee (pictured) is a Space Scientist in the Adult & Children’s Programs Department at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and is a Senior Research Scientist at the Space Science Institute (SSI) in Boulder, CO.
We think it’s a safe bet that Dr. Lee knows a thing or two about the moon.
So what exactly is a Blue Moon?
A Blue Moon is the second full moon to happen in a calendar month. So, tonight is the night here in Colorado and around the world.
How the expression “once in a blue moon” came about?
This expression has been around for about 400 years.
It’s akin to “When Pigs Fly” though in reality “Blue Moons” are not all that rare, happening about a dozen times in the last twenty years.
It happens roughly once in two years.
Will we be able to view this event in Colorado?
Yes! Although strictly speaking, the full moon happens instantaneously. So, sometimes we’ll miss seeing the moment when the moon is fully illuminated by a few hours (it’ll be full before moonrise or after moonset).
Enjoy this wonderful event. This might help set the Moon Mood in the Cloud:
Photos courtesy of Denver’s Museum of Nature & Science and NASA.
