As Creedence Clearwater Revival famously sung, "It's gonna be a blue moon rising" and just in time to light up your Easter weekend sky. Tonight is the last blue moon of 2018 and perfect timing for families celebrating Easter weekend together.
This has been quite the incredible month for celestial viewing, from the worm moon in early March and a parade of visible planets, all capped by tonight's blue moon. This will be the last blue moon until 2020, so don't miss it.
Blue moon is the name for the second full moon to fall on a single calendar month. Since the last full moon fell on March 1st, tonight's full moon on March 31st is considered a "blue moon". Unusually, this is the second blue moon to occur this year, with the first one falling on January 31st when there was a Super Blue Blood Moon.
If you're a bit superstitious, you may want to be on the lookout for the next blue moon, which falls on Halloween night of 2020.
While the name blue moon may lead to you think the moon will appear blue in the night sky tonight, it's a bit of a misnomer. Blue moons aren't, in fact, blue but appear just the same as any other full moon. The term blue moon has been used for hundreds of years and originally used to describe something that was outlandish or something absurd. In this case, it refers to there being two full moons in one calendar month. Over time, the meaning and folklore behind the blue moon terminology has changed.
A blue moon, on average, will occur once every 2.7 years based on the difference between the lunar cycle and the calendar month. The moon takes 29.5 days to circle our planet, whereas months typically consist of 30 or 31 days, meaning it is possible to time it exactly right that the full lunar cycle takes place within a single calendar month.
In addition to tonight's blue moon, it will also be a "Paschal" moon. This is because tonight will be the first full moon of spring, just 11 days after the start of spring. The last time there was a blue paschal moon was in 1999 and the next won't occur until 2037.
On the other hand, you will be able to enjoy the full moon's light just ahead of Easter Sunday. Hopefully, it's a nice spring night where you live and you can spend it outdoors in the blue moon's glow.
Come on all my people
Come one and all
One and all
If your one the people right there right then
You bet a ladies dead and they're appalled
They're appalled
Come into my palace
Come and see my hollow walls
The servants crawlIt's gonna be a blue moon rising
Rising one and all
Some people like that- Blue Moon Rising, Creedence Clearwater Revival
