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Dark Sky Park: Blue Moon

Mars and the Moon: Is This For Real?
Mars and the Moon: Is This For Real?

Mary Stewart Adams: On Tuesday, August 20, 2013 at 9:45 pm EDT the Moon will come to Full Phase. Typically there are three Full Moons in each season (1 Full Moon per month) but because there are four Full Moons in the Summer of 2013 this third one is the official Blue Moon. 

Contemporary culture regards the Blue Moon as the second Full Moon in one calendar month. This is caused by a quirk of our calendar keeping rather than by the rhythm of the cosmos. Four Full Moons in one season is a "cosmic gesture" since it is related to the Sun's apparent movement across the celestial equator at Equinox and highest or lowest relative to that equator at Solstice time. This type of "old school" Blue Moon is more rare and, well, more cosmic!

Further, this month we are witnessing the resurgence of an Internet legend regarding Full Moon and Mars: In August 2003, the red planet Mars came closer to Earth than usual, which caused it to appear as BRIGHT as the Moon, not as large as the Moon. What is most remarkable about this event was that it preceded the rare Venus Transit of 2004 by a period of nine months: the time for a healthy human gestation. And during Mars' close approach, the power went out along the entire East coast of the US, and as far inland as the Venus Transit would then be visible nine months later (in June 2004). If you see any reports of Mars getting as large as the Moon, have no fear, this is NOT TRUE and will NOT be happening.