Blue moon to shine on our skies on New Years Eve.

It happens once in the blue moon – and this time it’s happening after 20 years.

According to NASA, blue moon refers to the second full moon in a calendar. It is not very rare event as the moon cycle matches up very well with our 30-day calendar. Moon completes its full cycle in 29.5 days and it happens occasionally that two full moons appear in one month. According to NASA, the event happens every two and a half year.

But blue moon on the New Year’s Eve is a rare event. It last happened on the New Year’s Eve of 1990. Phillip Hiscock, a professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland’s department of folklore, tells that many parties of New Year’s Eve are themed on this event when the December of year 1990 ended with blue moon. Professor Hiscock says that the meaning of the term ‘blue moon’ has changed several times.

Interestingly, there are six different meanings of the term which are still prevalent in different cultures. In 1883, an Indonesian volcano erupted and a huge amount of dust filled the air. Due to the presence of smoke and dust in the atmosphere the moon actually appeared blue and hence the infamous phrase ‘once in the blue moon’ was created. Surprisingly, this effect of smoke and dust lasted for over two years. The current meaning of the blue moon was offered by a farmer’s almanac and it was explained by a writer at an astronomical magazine in 1940s.

The first full moon occurred on the 2nd of December and the second full moon will shine on the New Year’s Eve. The blue moon could be seen right above the NYC’s Times Square on the New Year’s Eve.

There will be a partial lunar eclipse also in the Eastern Hemisphere on the New Year’s Eve when the moon will enter the earth’s shadow.

Blue Moon New Years Eve