Once in a Blue Moon

The month of December is an exciting one this year. There have been holidays and events to celebrate including the winter solstice, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. But something else that I've been waiting all month to see—The Blue Moon!

If they say the moon is blue,

We must believe that it is true.

(an old proverb, 1528)

We've all heard the saying that a rare something happens only "once in a blue moon," but what does that really mean? According to modern popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month (this month's first one was on December 2nd). It isn't actually blue, though and I'm not sure where the color blue comes from.(I Googled it and only came up with pollution as a possible cause, but that it has nothing to do with two full moons in one month.)

As I mentioned, December 2009 is a blue moon month and the next one on New Year's Eve in the western hemisphere won't occur over here until 2028. I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to wait 19 more years to see this event again at the turning of the New Year. The moon rises at 5:08 pm and I plan to be outside watching it!

What a great way to celebrate the coming of 2010!

Happy New Year!

Addition ~6 pm: We went out to look at the moon and it was beautiful coming up over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. My middle son was ticked off that the moon wasn't actually blue but otherwise it was a great event getting out of the house for 15 minutes on this cold night.

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Neat

"Let all that you do be done in love"
1 Cor 16:14