We’re being treated to yet another full moon this month with the arrival of today’s blue moon.
The blue moon, deceptively not named after its colour, will rise today and peak at around 9.45am – so if you’re hoping to catch a glimpse, there’s no time for lie-ins.
Earlier in the month, stargazers took to social media to share pictures of the flower moon rising above rooftops and trees across the UK.
What made this year’s flower moon special was that it was a micromoon, meaning it appeared slightly smaller and dimmer than usual in the sky.
Today’s full moon is equally as special because it’s both a rare blue moon and a micromoon. You can learn more about why blue moons get their name and how you might be able to see one today right here.
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What is a blue moon?
A blue moon is the name given to the 13th full moon within a calendar year.
As explained by Royal Museums Greenwich, each of the 12 phases of the moon takes roughly 29.5 days to complete, totalling 354 days for all cycles – just under the total number of days in a year.
As a result, we sometimes see a 13th full moon, named a blue moon because it doesn’t fit in with the regular naming conventions of full moons (wolf moon, flower moon, harvest moon, et cetera).
Are blue moons actually blue?
Unfortunately, blue moons are not actually blue, and they appear in the sky as any other full moon. So why are these full moons called blue moons?
Well, it’s thought that the name comes from a mispronunciation of the word ‘belewe’, which means ‘to betray’, with the blue moon ‘betraying’ the tradition of experiencing only one full moon per month.
There are two other definitions for the blue moon.
The first relates to the astronomical seasons, the periods between equinoxes and solstices. Ordinarily, there are three full moons per season, but a blue moon is the third full moon of four full moons within one astronomical season.
The second is thought to have started as a mistake but became popularised through the Trivial Pursuit Board game and radio shows. This simple definition explains blue moons as the second full moon in any calendar month with two full moons, like this month.
How often do blue moons happen?
Blue moons occur roughly every two to three years. The last blue moon took place on August 19, 2024, and, after today, the next blue moon will happen on May 20, 2027.
You can sometimes experience two blue moons within one year. We saw this in 2018, one of which was a lunar eclipse, and we’re expecting to see two more in 2037 – don’t forget to mark it in your calendar!
Will the blue moon be visible?
The blue moon will reach its peak around 9.45am today.
The Met Office has predicted showers for today as the weather cools following a record-breaking heatwave felt across the entirety of the United Kingdom.
With today’s blue moon also being a micromoon, you may struggle to see it, particularly if you’re in an area expecting lots of rain. However, we still think it’s worth a check if you’re awake early enough.
When is the next full moon in the UK?
If you do miss today’s blue moon, there will fortunately be plenty more full moons coming your way, including:
- The strawberry moon on June 30
- The buck moon on July 29
- The sturgeon moon on August 28
- The harvest moon on September 26
- The hunter’s moon on October 26
- The beaver moon on November 24
- The cold moon on December 24
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