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The rarity of events and celebrations such as milestone birthdays and cosmic happenings makes them special.<\/p>\n
The phrase \u201conce in a blue moon\u201d exists because it is not an everyday occurrence. This year, May has not one but two full moons lighting up the night sky, the second of which is going down tonight, in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 31.<\/p>\n
Illumination reaches its peak at 4:45 a.m. ET.<\/p>\n
But this is also considered a micromoon. Here\u2019s everything you need to know before you stargaze.<\/p>\n
This has nothing to do with color. There are two ways to define a blue moon. The first is when a second full moon occurs in the same calendar month. This happens about once every 30 months<\/a>. Tonight is the night for May 2026, as the first full moon took place on May 1.<\/p>\n The second definition deals in quarters. A typical astronomical season contains three full moons. Every two to three years<\/a>, a fourth sneaks in, causing the third full moon to be considered a blue moon.<\/p>\n If you miss this one, you will have to wait until May 20, 2027, for a seasonal blue moon, according to Royal Museums Greenwich<\/a>.<\/p>\n The next calendar blue moon won\u2019t happen again until December 2028.<\/p>\n Metaphorical lightning\u2014or in this case, two blue moons\u2014can strike twice in the same year, but it is rare. <\/p>\n According to The Old Farmer\u2019s Almanac<\/em><\/a>, in 2018, both January and March had a blue moon. February had no full moons. This won\u2019t happen again until 2037.<\/p>\n Although this blue moon is considered \u201cmicro,\u201d the naked eye won\u2019t be able to tell much difference in size. According to National Geographic<\/em><\/a>, it will only look about 10% to 15% smaller in diameter and a bit dimmer.<\/p>\n The natural satellite orbits the Earth in an elliptical pattern, making it appear bigger and brighter or smaller and dimmer, depending on where it is on that journey.<\/p>\n A micromoon occurs around apogee, a fancy term for when the moon is at the farthest point away from Earth.<\/p>\nWhen will the next blue moon occur?<\/h2>\n
Can 2 blue moons happen in the same year?<\/h2>\n
What is a micromoon?<\/h2>\n