Tonight a full moon will rise over our area, but it's not just any full moon. This is a blue moon! You've probably heard the expression "once in a blue moon" meaning it happens very rarely. That's this same phenomenon.

Is A Blue Moon Even Rare? 

It turns out there are two meanings to a "blue moon". A blue moon, is an additional full moon in a period - but which period? A season or a month? There are actually two definitions due to a misunderstanding! 

Originally, the term "Blue Moon" referred to the third full Moon in a season that has four full Moons. The earliest known reference to a Blue Moon in the English language is the phrase "... the mone is blewe ..." from a pamphlet published in 1528. Some writers speculate that "blue" came from "belewe," the phrase meant "Betrayer Moon," and that the name referred to how an extra Moon in a season confused or "betrayed" the dates for Lent and Easter.

The second meaning of the term "blue moon" that refers to a second full moon in a month, but it's a more recent development, originating in 1946.

Tonight's blue moon is a seasonal blue moon, but it won't actually look blue to your eyes. It will just look like an ordinary full moon. If you take a picture of the blue moon, send it to us on social media. You may see your photo used on WDRB News!Â