Today people define a blue moon as the second full moon of the month, a definition inadvertently introduced by Sky and Telescope magazine in 1946 and subsequently popularized in the 1980s by a Trivial Pursuit board game question.
But the saying "once in a blue moon"—meaning "not very often"—has been around for at least 150 years. And the phrase "blue moon" has been used for at least four centuries, according to Hiscock's research, which he reported in the March 1999 issue of Sky and Telescope.
The earliest known meaning of the phrase was to indicate the absurd, according to Hiscock. This eventually led to equating the blue moon—like flying pigs—with something that would never happen.
Then again, there are instances when the moon does appear blue, as it did after the Indonesian volcano Krakatau (Krakatoa) erupted in 1883. Forest fires and monsoons have also caused the moon to appear blue. Such occurrences likely helped change the meaning of "once in a blue moon" from "never" to "not very often."
The "not very often" meaning of " blue moon" is still the most common. But Hiscock also cites associations of the phrase with sadness and loneliness, often in song lyrics.
Sky and Telescope's 1946 mislabeling of the blue moon as the second full moon of the month came from a misinterpretation of a page from the 1937 Maine Farmers' Almanac. The almanac used the term to refer to the third full moon of a season that has four full moons, which has to do with the Christian ecclesiastical calendar.
The magazine acknowledged and explained their mistake in the May 1999 issue.
The late Charles Federer, founder of Sky and Telescope said of the misinterpretation: "Even if the calendrical meaning is new, I don't see any harm in it. It's something fun to talk about, and it helps attract people to astronomy."
Cause for Celebration?
This year's blue moon will look the same as any other full moon. And despite superstition and rumor, rates of crime, poor driving, dog bites, and childbirths will be about the same as any other night of the year. But some will see the phenomenon as cause for celebration.
Colorado-based Coors Brewing Company, for example, plans to launch a promotion this July around their Blue Moon brand of Belgian-style wheat beer.
The beer was named at a 1995 branding meeting, when a marketer said, "Flavors like these are ones that come around once in a blue moon," according to Amy Valdez, a spokesperson for the company.
The promotion includes table displays and posters adorned with the Blue Moon logo and the phrase "7.31.04. Discover it."
How did the moon form? Why do we always see only one side of it? For these answers and more, see our moon facts >>
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