Full Blue Moon: Here’s How You Can See It Next Weekend

The full blue moon will take place on the evening of May 18 – and it’ll be your last chance to see one for over two years!

Next week, sky-gazers around the world will be treated to a stunning astronomical display, in the form of a Full Blue Moon.

The full blue moon will take place on the evening of May 18 – and it’ll be your last chance to see one for over two years!

While this particular moon is known as a blue moon, it won’t actually appear blue in the night sky

Instead, it earns this name due to the fact that it’s the third of four full moons in this season.

Normally there are only three full moons in a season, making this a rare event – hence the phrase ‘once in a blue moon’.

 NASA explained: “A blue moon is special because it is the ‘extra’ Moon in a season with four full moons. This usually only happens every two-and-a-half years.”

In early Native American tribes, this moon was known as the Full Flower Moon, because it appears in spring, as flowers also begin to bloom.

For your best chance of seeing the Blue Moon, look to the skies from 21:11 BST.

If you miss this full blue moon, you’ve got a while to wait to see one again. The next full blue moon will take place on August 22, 2021.

Source: UK Mirror