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On Saturday night, Democrats yearning for a blue wave on Election Day might choose to look to the sky for an omen: a blue moon.
Blue moons, typically defined as the second full moon in a month, are rare, arriving every two to three years. According to Earthsky.org, the last one was on March 31, 2018.
Confusingly, an older definition of a blue moon refers to the third of four full moons in a season which, because the seasons are typically three months long, is one more full moon than expected. The next seasonal blue moon will arrive on August 22 of next year.
More confusing still, the full moons in October are generally referred to as “hunter’s moons.” But even though the first full moon of this month was October 1, it was a “harvest moon.” According to Astronomy.com, that’s a “name reserved for the full moon that occurs closer to the autumnal equinox,” which means that harvest moons are generally seen in September.
Those hoping for a dramatic Halloween ghost may well be disappointed on Saturday, as the term “blue moon” does not refer to color. The Washington Post noted that cynics downplay blue moons as “visually nondescript, pedestrian” and almost like any other full moon.
That said, there have been times when the moon has turned blue, coinciding with volcanic eruptions. In 1883, the Krakatoa eruption shot so much “volcanic aerosol” materials into the sky that it scattered “certain wavelengths of light, leaving the moon tinged with an unusual aquamarine at the edge,” the Post reported. Blue moons have occurred amid other volcanic eruptions, such as El Chichón de México in 1983.
On Saturday, Earthsky.org offered comfort to any disappointed moon watchers, noting that Mars will glow “bright red” near the blue moon.
