photo courtesy of Tracy
March 31,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A full Blue Moon rises into the evening sky tonight (March 31). This will be the second and final Blue Moon of 2018.
Despite the name, the “Blue Moon” won’t actually be blue. In fact, it will look the same as any other full moon. According to the current definition, the term refers to the second full moon in a given calendar month. The traditional definition of a Blue Moon was reserved for the third full moon in a season that has four full moons, which happens in years that have 13 full moons instead of the usual 12.
The next seasonal Blue Moon will not happen until May 18, 2019. The last Blue Moon was an extra special one, as it coincided with a “supermoon” and a total lunar eclipse.
Today’s full moon, which is the first full moon of spring, is also known as a “Paschal Moon,” which is the full moon right before Easter Sunday. It has also been nicknamed the “Sap Moon” by Native American tribes “as it marks the time when maple sap begins to flow and the annual tapping of maple trees begins,” according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Today, the moon will reach its fullest phase at 8:37 a.m. EDT (1237 GMT). That means for viewers in Ridgewood , the moon will be below the horizon at this time.
Beautiful moon tonight with a clear sky too…