Witness the Blue Moon today: ‘Second Full Moon will be visible on August 31 at 7.06 am’

Hyderabad: Treat to the eyes, as the city is going to witness a rare spectacle – not one, but two full moons in a month. The phenomenon known as Blue Moon, is capturing the imagination of many, although it’s important to clarify that the moon itself won’t be blue.

According to experts, generally in a calendar year at least one full moon is visible in the sky every month. However, sometimes rarely, i.e., once every 2-3 years or 2.715 years on an average, two full moons appear in the same month. Hence in western folklore metaphorically to describe the rarity of this occurrence of the second full moon (31st August) in a month is popularly referred to as Blue Moon.

Hence, the word Blue Moon is not coined or recognised by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) the highest body responsible for Astronomy example Once in a Blue Moon. “Traditionally, a Blue Moon refers to the second full moon in a single month. This term has long been used in western folklore to describe the rarity of such an event.

First, it was seen on August 02 at 12:02 am and the second full moon will be visible on August 31 at 7:06 am. This second full moon in a month is referred in western folklore as the Blue Moon. The last Blue Moon event took place in 2020, gracing the skies on October 31. Prior to that, the Blue Moon phenomenon occurred in 2012 (August) and 2015 (July). In 2018, sky watchers were treated to a double dose of Blue Moons, with occurrences in both January and March,” said N Raghu Nandan Kumar of Planetary Society.

Clarifying the questions raised by netizens about the appearance of the Blue Moon on August 31. Will it be tinted blue? The answer is a clear no. The term Blue Moon refers to the timing of the event and not the moon’s actual color. The moon will maintain its usual silvery hue, he added.