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You might have heard rumours going around of a blue moon on July 31st, but did you see it and do you know what exactly it is?
Probably everyone’s heard the term “once in a blue moon”, so you can probably guess that a blue moon happens relatively rarely. There’s actually two types of blue moons, but unfortunately, neither of them are really blue.
One type of blue moon refers to the second full moon in just one calendar month. This kind of blue moon is the one the world experienced on Friday, since there was a full moon on July 2nd and another one snuck in on the last day of July. This type of blue moon happens at least once every two or three years.
Friday's blue moon above the gorgeous Okanagan hills. (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)
The other kind of blue moon is a bit more complicated. Basically, different seasons, defined in astronomy from solstice to equinox or vice versa, generally have three full moons. When an extra one squeaks in, the third full moon is referred to as a blue moon.
It’s a little disappointing that blue moons aren’t actually blue, but there can be blue-coloured moons. This happens when dust or smoke particles of a specific size are in the air, scattering blue light. Red moons are much more common, and B.C. certainly sees those time to time in the wildfire season.
One last fun fact: once every 19 years or so, February doesn’t have a full moon with its short length. In the years when February doesn’t have a full moon, two different months actually have two full moons. Watch out for this phenomenon in 2018.
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