By Madhuri Dey
Jan 1, (THAINDIAN NEWS) This new year’s eve, the late night revelers had a bit if extra light to enjoy their party out in the open. There was full moon, that too, a blue moon in the sky. The name is a bit misleading, as the moon does not really appear to be “blue” as such, but is a reference to the expression “once in a blue moon, ” meaning a very rare occurrence. In reality, a blue moon is actually the second full moon in the month.

Although the second full moon in a month is not a particularly rare occurrence, although appearing on a new year’s eve is indeed, very rare. While the regular blue moon occurs almost every two and a half years, it has appeared on new year’s eve for the first time in almost twenty years. The last time that this phenomenon occurred was in 1990. The blue moon was viewed from the continents in Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe.

There is some contention about the nomenclature of the occurrence, as some astronomers believe that the moon may actually look blue due to the particles of volcanic ash that clings in the atmosphere, but that may hold for every new moon. However, what mattered to the new year revelers more than the scientific facts about the occurrence, was the fact that it provided a bit of extra light for the night out. However, it did not prove to be a very good experience for the stargazers as a full moon lends an extra brightness to the sky.