Does the term 'Blue Moon' have anything to do with eclipses of planets by the Moon?

I have never heard of a planetary 'occultation' by the Moon being referred to as a 'Blue Moon'. I think that whoever told you this got their terms confused! Blue Moon, in the literature I have come across, either refers to the double Full Moon in a month, or a rare atmospheric phenomenon which some observers have seen. More information can be found in the May 1999 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine.


Copyright 1997 Dr. Sten Odenwald

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