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Comment by Rev. Allen M. Drago ~ Traveler on September 25, 2012 at 1:11pm

The following blue moons occur between 2009 and 2021. These dates use UTC as the timezone; exact dates vary with different timezones.
Seasonal

Using the Maine Farmers' Almanac definition of blue moon (meaning the third full moon in a season of four full moons), blue moons occur

August 21, 2013
May 21, 2016
May 18, 2019
August 22, 2021

Unlike the astronomical seasonal definition, these dates are dependent on the Gregorian calendar and time zones.

Two full moons in one month (the second of which is a "blue moon"):

2015: July 2, July 31
2018: January 2, January 31
2018: March 2, March 31
2020: October 1, October 31

The next time New Year's Eve falls on a Blue Moon (as occurred on December 31, 2009) is after one Metonic cycle, in 2028. At that time there will be a total lunar eclipse.

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on August 31, 2012 at 9:25am

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on August 28, 2012 at 8:09am

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on August 28, 2012 at 8:08am

Here's a great spell to utilize the magical properties of the Blue Moon. You will need the following:

A square of blue cloth or sturdy blue christmas wrapping paper. Ideally, the cloth or paper will have moons and stars printed on it, alternatively you can decorate it yourself with glitter glue, stickers, etc.
13 safety pins.
Paper and a pen.
Length of gold cord or ribbon.
Bottle of Champagne, a glass, and a corkscrew.

Get centered, and sit down with your pen and paper and make a list of all the things you would want but which seem impossible. This includes anything that you find yourself repeatedly asking for. Think of "once in a lifetime," or "once in a blue moon," or "that couldn't possibly happen to me," things. The longer the list is, the better.

Now, look at each thing on your list and really think about it. Is this something you really want? If it showed up at your front door tomorrow morning would you really accept it? Are you sure this is for you? Cross off any items that you can't say YES to with enthusiasm.

Pick your top thirteen "geez I wish I could have that" items from your list. Cut your paper into thirteen moon shapes and write one wish on each one. Write it in a positive, affirmative way, such as: "I win millions of dollars in the lottery." or "I get an all expenses paid month long vacation in Fiji with the person I love."

Open up the square of cloth or paper, and pin the 13 wishes to it with safety pins. (The safety pins insure safety and security for you as your wishes unfold.). Now fold the cloth into a neat little bundle and tie it with the gold ribbon or cord.

Take the champagne, the glass, corkscrew, and your bundle outside under the full moon. Hold the bundle up and say the following:
Please grant me these wishes
With harm to none
And bring me a life filled
With love and with fun.
I give you permission
on this special night
To unbind whatever
I may have closed tight
to slip past the blocks
to move through whatever might
stop you from granting
these wishes tonight.
By the grace of the Goddess
By the grace of the God
As I say
It is done
So mote it be.
Now, uncork the champagne, and pour it into the glass. Hold up the glass of champagne and make a toast (say a heartfelt blessing) to the moon, and pour a small amount on the ground. Then make a toast to the Goddess and the God (a blessing and a thank-you), and pour a small amount on the ground. Then toast to yourself (something loving and kind), and drink the rest of the champagne in the glass.
Put the bundle in a place where things get worked on regularly, such as desk drawer, office cabinet, or tool box. On New Year's Eve of the following year, make a list of all the wonderful and amazing things that happened since this spell, then toss the bundle (unopened) into a fire with thanks and gratitude.

by ★Mystic♥Pagan★©•*¨*•.¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on August 28, 2012 at 8:08am

In modern times, the term "blue moon" is defined as the second full moon occurring within a single month. By a somewhat older definition, it's the third full moon in a season that has four, instead of the normal three, full moons. Either way, it's an out-of-the-ordinary phenomenon occurring only once every few years. Hence the phrase, "once in a blue moon."

 

Why does this happen? A full lunar cycle is a little over 28 days long. However, a calendar year is more than that, which means that during some years, you may end up with thirteen full moons instead of twelve, depending on where in the month the lunar cycle falls. This is because during each calendar year, you end up with twelve full 28-day cycles, and a leftover accumulation of eleven or twelve days. Those days accumulate, and so about once every 28 calendar months, you end up with an extra full moon during the month.

 

This is an especially magical time, think of it as a lunar bonus round, a chance to ask for special "once in a blue moon" favours, or to work with "once in a lifetime" spells. This year (2012), a blue moon will occur on August 31, making for a unique opportunity for spell work.

 

Historically, "blue moon" was understood in a more literal way. Once upon a time it denoted a phenomenon even rarer than an extra full moon, one that has occurred perhaps only once or twice in recorded history: the face of moon literally appearing to turn blue in colour.

 

The full moon on August 31^st will likely look no different than any other full Moon. But the Moon can change colour in certain conditions.

 

After forest fires or volcanic eruptions, the Moon can appear to take on a bluish or even lavender hue. Soot and ash particles, deposited high in the Earth's atmosphere can sometimes make the Moon appear bluish. Smoke from widespread forest fire activity in western Canada created a blue Moon across eastern North America in late September 1950. In the aftermath of the massive eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in June 1991 there were reports of blue moons (and even blue Suns) worldwide.

  by ★Mystic♥Pagan★©•*¨*•.¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on August 28, 2012 at 8:07am

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on August 24, 2012 at 8:14am

Another beautiful image by our friend Jv Noriega – the moon among fast-moving clouds. Will the August 31 full moon be blue in color like this? No. This image was made using blue filters, too. Thank you, Jv!
The idea of a Blue Moon as the second full moon in a month stemmed from the March 1946 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine, which contained an article called “Once in a Blue Moon” by James Hugh Pruett. Pruett was using a 1937 Maine Farmer’s Almanac, but he simplified the definition. He wrote:

Seven times in 19 years there were — and still are — 13 full moons in a year. This gives 11 months with one full moon each and one with two. This second in a month, so I interpret it, was called Blue Moon.

EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd happened upon a copy of this old 1946 issue of Sky and Telescope in the stacks of the Peridier Library at the University of Texas Astronomy Department in the late 1970s. Afterward, she began using the term Blue Moon to describe the second full moon in a calendar month on the radio. Later, this definition of Blue Moon was also popularized by a book for children by Margot McLoon-Basta and Alice Sigel, called “Kids’ World Almanac of Records and Facts,” published in New York by World Almanac Publications, in 1985. The second-full-moon-in-a-month definition was also used in the board game Trivial Pursuit.

Can there be two blue moons in a single calendar year? Yes. It last happened in 1999. There were two full moons in January and two full moons in March and no full moon in February. So both January and March had Blue Moons.

The next year of double blue moons is coming up in 2018.

What most call a Blue Moon isn't blue in color. It's only Blue in name. This great moon photo from EarthSky Facebook friend Rebecca Lacey in Cambridge, Idaho.
Blue moon as third full moon of four in a season. The Old Farmer’s Almanac defined a Blue Moon as an extra full moon that occurred in a season. One season – winter, spring, fall, summer – typically has three full moons. If a season has four full moons, then the third full moon may be called a Blue Moon.

The next blue moon by this definition will fall on August 21, 2013.

In recent years, a controversy has raged – mainly among purists – about which Blue Moon definition is better. The idea of a Blue Moon as the third of four in a season may be older than the idea of a Blue Moon as the second full moon in a month. Is it better? Is one definition right and the other wrong? After all, this is folklore. So the folk get to decide, and, in the 21st century, both sorts of full moons have been called Blue.

As the folklorist Phillip Hiscock wrote in his comprehensive article Folklore of the Blue Moon: Old folklore it is not, but real folklore it is.

So enjoy Blue Moons!

Bottom line: A blue-colored moon is rare. But folklore has defined two different kinds of Blue Moons. A Blue Moon can be the second full moon in a month. Or it can be the third of four full moons in a season. The full moon of August 31, 2012 will be considered a Blue Moon.

Links have been disabled on this site, please visit the site this was found at for active link access: http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/when-is-the-next-blue-moon

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on August 24, 2012 at 8:13am

According to modern folklore, a Blue Moon is the second full moon of a calendar month. Learn how this name came to be, in this post.

Image via our friend Jv Noriega

August 2012 is a month with two full moons. And, by popular acclaim, that means it’s a Blue Moon month – but it’s Blue in name only. That’s because a Blue Moon is sometimes defined as the second full moon in a calendar month. The first full moon is August 1. The second full moon is August 31, 2012.

There are two more definitions for Blue Moon. It can be the third of four full moons in a single season. Or, someday, you might see an actual blue-colored moon.

The August 31 Blue Moon will not be blue in color. This photo was created using special filters. This August 2012 Blue Moon will be called Blue because it is the second full moon of a month. Image via EarthSky Facebook friend Jv Noriega.
It’s very rare that you would see a blue-colored moon, although unusual sky conditions – certain-sized particles of dust or smoke – can create them. Blue-colored moons aren’t predictable. So don’t be misled by the photo above. The sorts of moons people commonly call Blue Moons aren’t usually blue. For more about truly blue-colored moons, click here.

Now on to folklore’s Blue Moons. Every month typically has a full moon (although sometimes February doesn’t). In fact, our word for “month” comes from the word “moon.” Most of the time, the names for full moons coincide with particular months or seasons of the year. So whether you define a Blue Moon as the second full moon in a month – or the third full moon of four in a season – the name Blue Moon accounts for times when there are more full moons than is ordinary.

Blue moon as second full moon in a month. In recent decades, many people have begun using the name Blue Moon to describe the second full moon of a calendar month.

The time between one full moon and the next is close to the length of a calendar month. So the only time one month can have two full moons is when the first full moon happens in the first few days of the month. This happens every 2-3 years, so these sorts of Blue Moons come about that often.

When is the next Blue Moon, according to this first definition? August 31, 2012.

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on August 24, 2012 at 8:12am

Comment by Dept of PMM Artists & things on August 24, 2012 at 8:12am

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