How Does A Blue Moon Occur: Detailed Explanations

In this article on physics, we will discuss and deal with the various concepts and their explanations of how a blue moon occurs.

Blue moon refers to the special condition of the second full moon that will occur in a single month. According to the report of several space organizations, they can observe the blue moon once in two and half years. The color will be blue due to the particles and dust in the moon’s atmosphere.

Let us discuss the various concepts of how does a blue moon occur.

Blue Moon: Meaning and Facts

A blue moon is a special phase of a moon cycle. It is an important event in which the full moon is featured twice in the same month.

The Blue moon can is considered seasonal since it is seen once in two and half years. It is referred to as the second full moon observed in the same month. The Blue moon always occurs on the last date of the month, i.e., on either the 30th or 31st. Since the complete lunar cycle requires a certain period, the month’s first full moon occurs on the 1st or 2nd day of the same month.

how does a blue moon occur
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The moon’s color will appear blue in this case because, during this phase, the moon’s atmosphere will usually contain dust and molecules that will strike the longer wavelengths of blue light that helps the moon to be visible in blue color.

To study the causes of a blue moon.

What causes a blue moon?

The main reason behind the cause of blue moon is the scattering of light around the moon’s atmosphere.

Eventually, the moon’s atmosphere consists of several dust and other molecules. The light from the sun travels and reaches these molecules that mainly scatter the blue light to higher wavelengths absorbed by the moon’s surface, making it appear blue in the night sky during the phase of the full blue moon. The particles present in the moon’s atmosphere must be slightly greater than 900nm.

To know the period of occurrence of this blue moon.

How often does a full blue moon occur?

The blue moon usually occurs once in two and a half years.

Usually, the completion of one moon cycle takes approximately 27 days, which consists of one full moon and one new moon. Still, in a calendar year, we have 365 days, that is 12 months, but there will be 13 full moons, in which the two moons will occur in the same month, and this second full moon is considered the blue moon. We can expect the next full blue moon to be visible in 2037.

To know the tenure of appearance of a full blue moon.

How many years does a blue moon occur?

In general, two types of a full blue moon are visible.

  • The first type of full blue moon is referred to as the seasonal one, which can be viewed as the third full moon out of four in the stellar season; it occurs once in a while over two and half years.
  • The second type of blue moon is the monthly full blue moon, which appears as the second full moon and usually appears at the end of the month.
  • The blue moon appears due to adding the remaining days in the lunar cycle.

To know about the detailed facts of how does a blue moon occur.

How long does a blue moon occur?

Every full blue moon is expected to be visible in the night sky at the end of the month.

  • It generally occurs at the end due to the completion of the second lunar cycle in the same month, while the first full moon occurs at the beginning of that month.
  • The seasonal full blue moon occurs during the third full moon phase, which is among the four in the seasonal period that occurs once in tenure of 2.5 years approximately.
  • The name is not given as blue moon since it appears in a blue shade but considers the season in which it occurs.

To study the main differences between the blood moon and blue moon.

Difference between blood moon and blue moon

The major differences between the blood moon and blue moon are mentioned below,

Blood moonBlue moon
It happens to be a reddish or dark brown appearance.It happens to be slightly blue in appearance.
It usually occurs in the lunar cycle when the moon is very near the earth.It occurs in the lunar cycle in its normal process, only accumulating the remaining days of the months in the astronomical season.
Scattering of red light.Scattering of blue light.
The period of occurrence will be during the lunar eclipse and once in 30 months.It is visible as a seasonal and monthly full blue moon.
It is even referred to as the super blood moon or super flower moon.It is generally referred to as the second full moon of the same month.

The above are well-known facts about the blue moon and blood moon.

What is the appearance period of a full blue moon in the night sky?

The period of occurrence of the blue moon will be seasonal or monthly.

The period of appearance of a full blue moon in the night sky will be once in 2-3.5 years in an astronomical season and as a second full moon in a calendar month.

These are the important and primary facts about how a blue moon occurs.

Frequently asked questions | FAQs

What is the simple definition of a full blue moon?

The simple definition of the full blue moon is given below,

It is the additional phase of the full moon seen in the lunar cycle that occurs in the same month; it can be generally indicated as the second full moon that is slightly blue in appearance.

Is the blue moon can be the same as a full moon?

The blue moon is also a full moon considered to be the extra full moon that occurs in a calendar year.

The second full moon visible in the same month as the first full moon will happen once in about 2.5 years. It can be referred to as the extra full moon that occurs due to accumulating the remaining days of the lunar cycle. The blue moon will happen in a similar cycle where the normal full moon occurs.

What is the rarer phase of the lunar cycle compared to a blue moon?

The rarest phase of the moon cycle compared to the blue moon is the phase of the black moon.

The appearance of the black moon is one of the rarest events in the celestial. It usually happens in specific time zones that can occur about once in 32 months. The black moon phase is not similar to the new moon in the lunar cycle.

How can a full blue moon occur?

A full blue moon is primarily considered the additional phase in the lunar cycle that is visible once in 2.5 years.

This full phase of the moon will occur twice in the same month of the calendar year, and the second full phase is referred to as the blue moon. It follows the same procedure that applies to the normal full moon.

Did the full blue moon get its name by its appearance?

The blue moon might get its name due to its appearance during the 1940s.

But can also say that ancient astronomers had several types of research on the occurrence of a blue moon. The days left during the lunar cycle in 2-3 years come together to witness two full moons in the same month. The second moon during this tenure is referred to as a blue moon, and it will slightly appear in a blue shade.

Can we say that a blue moon is blue in color?

Blue moons cannot always be blue.

They will be the same as any other full moon but only due to scattering light through the dust molecules. They appear blue, and even during certain other celestial phenomena, the moon will be visible in several different colors, such as red, muddy brown, and black.

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