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…
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