“Blue Moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own….”
According to ACBnews.com, the blue moon was falsely named because of an article in 1946:
Sky & Telescope, a magazine for astronomy enthusiasts, ran an article in March 1946 that defined a blue moon as the second full moon in a month — but readily admits today that it made a mistake, oversimplifying the four-full-moons-in-a-season definition. The mistake caught on, even though the folklore scholar Philip Hiscock of Canada’s Memorial University of Newfoundland said he could find no references to the two-moons-in-a-month definition from before then. (For the record, the moon is full once every 29 1/2 days.)
So what is a blue moon if not 2 full moons in a month? Most people just accept the twice a month definition.
Ironically, Neil Arrmstrong’s memorial service was held today. His family made the following request:
“Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.”
If anyone is ever inclined to forget Neil Armstrong, there will be a strong reminder, right up there in the sky.
The next blue moon will be July 31, 2015. That’s a long wait.
And now for the song:
