August 20 Full Moon a Blue Moon.....HUH??

One of the great things about my job is that there is always  opportunity to learn new stuff.  For example, I saw a couple of posts online yesterday that said that last nights moon was a Blue Moon.  I heard it again on the national news this morning; but being in a bit of a rush I didn't have time to listen to the story. 

Once I fired up my computer I decided to check it out.  I looked at the Stardate website for confirmation.  Now remember, I grew up believing that a Blue Moon was defined as the second full moon in a calendar month.  One full moon early in the month, a second the last week of the month.

I noticed that August 2013, had only one full moon.  I was beginning to think we were once again the victims of a cruel hoax.  But as I got digging, I discovered that this definition, so common with everyone, is not  the original definition of the term Blue Moon.

The following article on Space.com, explains where the confusion came from and how (even before the term was coined) the new definition "went viral".  Kudos to Joe Rao for writing such a great article.

August Blue Moon: Lunar Oddity of Night Sky Explained.

Be sure to watch the videos embedded in the story!

August 20 2013 Full Moon is a Blue Moon, in the traditional definition of the word.