Tonight marks a rare appearance…
It’s a lunar phenomenon known as the “blue moon” – an event that only happens once every 2.7 years.
So how and where can you see it?
Just look up! You can see it from anywhere on earth!
When?
8.13pm in Adelaide
(8.43 pm in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne and 6.43 pm in Perth)
Is it ACTUALLY blue though?
Nope! If you gaze up at the sky tonight you will likely see a moon that’s very BIG, very FULL and very BRIGHT but it won’t actually be the colour blue!
The term ‘blue moon’ is most often used to mean “rare” – and indeed that’s what this is.
It basically marks the SECOND full moon in one calendar month.
IFL Science explains: “The lunar cycle is around 29 and a half days, and months of the year are between 28 and 31 days long. The probability of a full lunar cycle, from full moon to full moon, occurring precisely during this time window is therefore not very high.”
The next of these phenomena won’t occur until January 31, 2018.
WATCH – This video by NASA explains what a blue moon actually is and explains how on rare occasions, it can actually be REALLY blue:
