Blue Moon on New Year's Eve

Did you know that 2009 ends with a Blue Moon? On December 31^st, a second full moon is seen in the December night sky. It’s an event that only happens about every three years. The next one takes place in August 2012.

The term ‘blue moon’ does not refer to its color. It actually originated in a leaflet during Henry VIII’s reign when the Church of England separated from Roman Catholicism. The writer of the pamphlet was complaining about the religious clergy, whom the common people blindly followed. He wrote a rhyme which sarcastically expressed: “If they say the moon is blue, we must believe that it is true.”