Tag Archives: Lunar

A seasonal Blue Moon recently emerged, creating an impressive lunar image

Citizen Journalism, ,
The recent Blue Moon was captured by Rockford resident Matthew Palmieri on Aug. 30 with a 6-inch reflector

By Deborah Reed

deborah@wktv.org

Picture of the Blue Moon at 98% on Aug. 31, taken with a 6-inch reflector (Courtesy, Matthew Palmieri)

A Blue Moon appeared Aug. 30-31, the second full moon to emerge within a single calendar month.

Though having nothing to do with color, Blue Moons occur once every two to three years.

The cycle of the phases of the moon takes 29.5 days to complete, taking 354 days to conclude 12 lunar cycles. This equals one full moon per month and totaling 12 full moons each year.

The occasional exception to a monthly full moon is February. With only 28 days in a common year and 29 days in a leap year, February will never experience a Blue Moon.

The next seasonal Blue Moon is expected to take place Aug. 19-20, 2024.