On the first full moon night after the Mid-Autumn Festival, is the "Blue Moon" romantic or disaster?

　　BEIJING, October 31 electricity

　　Author: Dan Yi

　　In early October, the bright moon on the night of "Double Festival",

　　It must have left many people with good memories.

　　At the end of the month, another full moon will rise into the night sky.

　　This time, it also has a romantic name-"Blue Moon".

Data map: On the evening of October 1st, the Mid-Autumn Festival moon night, the Fuzhou ancient house, the full moon reflected each other.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Wang Dongming

"Blue Moon" meets Halloween

Missed to wait for 19 years!

　　"Blue Moon, look at me wandering alone,

　　There is no dream in my heart, and no lover by my side;

　　Blue Moon, you know I'm there,

　　You can hear me being the one who cares in my heart,

　　Sing softly.

"

　　This lyrics comes from the classic American pop song "Blue Moon".

　　Speaking of "Blue Moon",

　　People may think of the same scene as this song,

　　There is a trace of sadness in romance.

Data map: "Blue Moon" taken in Macedonia.

　　But in fact, this poetic name,

　　It has nothing to do with the color of the moon,

　　Refers to a special phenomenon in the astronomical calendar

　　If there are two full moons in a calendar month,

　　The second full moon is called the "Blue Moon."

The moon rose gradually.

Image source: NASA video screenshot.

　　Usually the time interval between two full moons is 29.53 days,

　　Slightly shorter than the average number of days per month,

　　So an extra full moon will accumulate approximately every 2.1754 years,

　　The last time the "Blue Moon" appeared was in March 2018.

Data map: Legazpi, Philippines, the "Super Blue Blood Moon" landscape ushered in.

　　In fact, "Blue Moon" refers to the second full moon in the same Gregorian calendar month,

　　This usage originated from a misunderstanding.

　　In 1946, astronomer James Hugh Pruitt, in the magazine "Sky and Telescope",

　　In an article published "Once in a Blue Moon",

　　Misunderstood the almanac of farmers in Maine, USA,

　　The second full moon in a month is called the "blue moon".

　　In fact, the "blue moon" in the almanac refers to,

　　The third of the 4 full moons in a quarter.

　　In 1980, a popular American radio program quoted Prut’s definition,

　　This statement spread.

Data map: "Blue Moon" taken in Quito, Ecuador.

　　"Once in a Blue Moon" in English,

　　It means "very rare and once in a lifetime".

　　Although "Blue Moon" appears once more than two years,

　　It is not particularly unusual.

　　However, in 2020, the appearance of "Blue Moon" on Halloween is a rare occasion.

　　Missed this time,

　　The next time we have to wait until 2039.

Is blue moonlight a sign of disaster?

Magic "beauty" has nothing to do with romantic imagination

　　According to folklore, the "Blue Moon" heralds disaster.

　　There is no scientific basis for this statement.

　　But whenever a volcano erupts or a forest fire occurs,

　　These natural disasters,

　　It might actually make the moon blue.

Data map: On December 28, 2018 local time, the Krakatau volcano in Indonesia continued to erupt, releasing a large amount of ash.

　　In 1883, the Krakatau volcano erupted in Indonesia.

　　Scientists say its power is equivalent to the explosion of a 100 million ton nuclear bomb.

　　The sound reached a full 600 kilometers away,

　　The triggered volcanic tsunami killed more than 36,000 people.

　　The volcanic ash cloud is filled with particles about 1 micron in diameter.

　　Longer wavelength light such as red and yellow light cannot pass around and will be reflected or absorbed.

　　Blue and violet light and other light with shorter wavelengths can’t pass around 1 micron particles,

　　But it can pass through the pores between particles,

　　This forms the blue moon,

　　And it lasted for several years.

Data map: "Leapfrog Moon" taken in St. Petersburg, Russia.

　　Other less powerful volcanic eruptions also "dye blue" over the moon.

　　After the eruption of Mount St Helens in 1980 and Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991,

　　People have seen the blue moon.

Data map: May 5, 2016 local time, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. The local wildfire continued to spread and smoke billowed.

　　Similar to a volcanic eruption, a forest fire will also change the color of the moon.

　　In September 1950, a forest fire broke out in Alberta, Canada.

　　After the smoke dissipated, the sun appeared lavender or blue.

　　Edinburgh Observatory in Scotland on the other side of the ocean,

　　The moon was observed to refract "blue light".

　　Astronomers believe this is because the light refracted by the moon passed through a patch of

　　Mixed with dust and particles from Canadian forest fires,

　　It caused the moonlight to turn blue.

Data map: In September 2020, the smoke from the California fire in the United States covered the entire San Francisco Bay Area and most parts of Northern California, making the entire sky orange.

　　70 years later, in 2020, wildfires in the western United States have repeatedly set record areas.

　　The fire is still spreading.

　　Maybe at Halloween,

　　Observers in the area,

　　You will really see a cyan or red-blue moon.

"Blue Moon" misnomer

"Pink Moon" is also unremarkable?

　　From the perspective of astrophysics, the color of the moon is formed by reflecting sunlight.

　　Generally speaking, the moon is pearly white.

　　In fact, not only is the "Blue Moon" not blue,

　　There are also some beautiful titles about the moon,

　　You can't escape "a false name".

Data map: April 8, 2020, the "pink moon" over Deerfield Beach, Florida, USA.

　　The full moon in April has a name full of spring breath-"Pink Moon",

　　But it does not have the rosy style.

　　The reason why it is called "Pink Moon",

　　It was because it was spring when the pink flowers were in full bloom.

　　The full moon in June gets its name "Strawberry Moon",

　　It's not because the moon looks like red strawberries.

　　The name comes from the Native American belief that the best time to pick strawberries has arrived.

Data map: On June 2, 2015, a group of girls watched the "Strawberry Moon" by the Tagus River in Lisbon, Portugal.

　　Since ancient times, the mysterious moon has been fascinating people.

　　Various romantic names have also pinned people's strong interest in it.

　　Tonight, as long as the weather is clear and without any equipment,

　　Everyone can see the round "blue moon",

　　Why not go out of the house and put on a coat,

　　Feel the unique charm of this distant planet again.

(Finish)