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The next appearance of the so-called "Blue Moon" is approaching, as the phenomenon is expected to appear in the early hours of June 1. However, despite its name, the Moon will not turn blue, as the term is not related to its appearance, but to the way lunar cycles are recorded within the calendar year.
There are two different definitions of a Blue Moon. The older one refers to the third full moon of a season that includes a total of four full moons and is known as a seasonal Blue Moon. Later, a second definition prevailed, which arose from an incorrect interpretation of the original and describes the second full moon within the same month. The full moon of May 31 falls precisely into this category.
At the same time, this particular moon will also be characterized as a "micromoon," because the Moon will be at the furthest point in its orbit relative to Earth. This means it will appear slightly smaller in the sky compared to a regular full moon, while the difference becomes even more noticeable when compared to a super full moon.
According to astronomical data, a micromoon appears about 7% smaller than an average full moon and up to 14% smaller than a supermoon. The next seasonal Blue Moon is estimated to occur on August 21, 2032.
The explanation for the phenomenon is related to the length of the lunar cycle, which ends approximately every 29.5 days. Thus, there are usually 12 full moons in a calendar year. However, because the 12 lunar cycles correspond to approximately 354 days rather than 365 of the year, an additional full moon, a 13th, occurs periodically, which is characterized as a Blue Moon.
Although the English expression "once in a blue moon" is used for something extremely rare, the phenomenon is not that unusual from an astronomical point of view. In fact, February may never have a monthly Blue Moon, due to its shorter duration. In some years, there may be no full moon at all, which is called a "Black Moon".
The Blue Moon will be visible in the early hours of Monday, June 1, at approximately 4:06 a.m. In the sky, it will appear near the red star Antares, in the constellation of Scorpius, before moving into Ophiuchus.
However, there is also a Blue Moon, although this is an extremely rare natural phenomenon. A typical example was recorded in 1883, after the massive eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia. At that time, large amounts of ash were released into the atmosphere and acted as a light filter, giving the Moon a blue or bluish-green hue. Similar images have been observed after other large volcanic eruptions, such as El Chichón in Mexico, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Pinatubo.
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