Claim: Was the moon really blue last week?

Question

There was a “Blue Moon” last week and many social outlets were talking about this and was saying this phenomenon won’t happen again until 2037. I was wondering if the moon would actually appear blue in the sky or if this was something being said to gain more viewers. Many of those outlets and people were making this a huge thing and were hyping it up, but was the outcome really anticipated?

Comments

Yes, there was a "blue moon" last week, but the definition of "blue moon" does not directly refer to the color of the moon. The moon rose on August 30, and the term comes from the saying "once in a blue moon." You can find more information in the link below.

https://www.space.com/15455-blue-moon.html

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Strong, succinct fact-check. Going forward, rather than "comment" on the claim, please "answer" it and rate it. Then your answer can be upvoted/chosen as the best answer. Thanks!

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I have already answered this question and provided a rating down below. It was doubled posted accidentally as an answer and comment. Thanks!

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I saw that afterwards. :) Thanks for re-doing it as an answer. Great work, again!

Answer 1

No, the moon was not literally blue. According to the article you linked, "blue moon" is just the term for when a full moon appears twice in one month, not the actual color the moon emits in the sky. This is also backed up by the Library of Congress. The moon can sometimes appear slightly blue in the sky due to atmospheric particles, but that was not what happened. However, the claim that it won't happen again until 2037 is true, and was also stated by Forbes in their article about the occurrence last week. This only specifically refers to a "blue moon" and a "super moon" occurring at the same time, two astronomical phenomena that happened to coincide on the same night.

https://moon.nasa.gov/news/197/super-blue-moons-your-questions-answered/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2022/08/12/in-photos-see-the-third-and-final-supermoon-of-2022-rising-around-the-world-in-a-blaze-of-color/?sh=1a4bb37875cb

https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/astronomy/item/what-is-a-blue-moon-is-it-ever-really-blue/

Comments

Good work getting straight to the point. I like that you mentioned that the moon can sometimes appear blue; I didn't know that.

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I liked how you used multiple news sources to back up your answer on if the moon was literally blue or not; you used a really credible source for this, NASA, and then pulled information from two other sources as well. You also didn't just directly quote from them, but put the information into your own words, so it makes sense to the average viewer.

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I like how you got straight to the point and put the argument into perspective. Also how there are multiple credible sources that people can look at to research for themselves. I also didn't know about the 2037 thing either.

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This is very straight to the point and shows how exaggerated the point made by the author is. It also shows that you have checked the article and have seen that the author has made false claims. You've also clearly provided evidence against the author's claim making it easy to understand that the moon was not literally a blue moon but rather an astronomic phenomenon that occurred one night

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Great fact check. I think it is very important that you included the information that the event won't occur again until 2037, because although the color of the moon does not actually appear blue during a super blue moon, it is still significant to mention the rarity of the event because of how uncommon it is.

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This is a good argument and straight to the point. It points out the wrong in the original claim and provides a definition for a blue moon. It also has plenty of sources.

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Great job using three different sources. Even better job using three sources that are extremely reliable!

Answer 2

Yes, the Blue Moon rose on Aug.30, Wednesday. Although the name is called Blue Moon, or Supermoon, it is not a Moon with the hue of blue. 

According to CBS news, it gives the definition of the Blue Moon, 

"Unlike what the name suggests, a blue Moon is not blue. Rather, it signifies the second full Moon within a single month — hence the phrase, "once in a blue Moon." 

The blue Moon is a rare phenomenon, which also influences the ocean. According to Physics.org, the super blue Moon enhanced the gravity, which then pulled the tides higher. This reaction was reflected in Hurricane Idalia, causing a storm surge. 

Furthermore, according to NASA’s website about the descriptions of the Moon for each day, August 30 is a blue Moon because it is the second full Moon this Month. As you can see on this website, a full Moon also occurs on August 1, because the Moon is right opposite to the Sun as it is orbiting around the Earth. You can also view the pictures in Daily Moon Guide | Observe – Moon: NASA Science taken by other photographers on the days of full Moon and Blue Moon. 

Miss last night's super blue moon? See stunning pictures of the rare lunar show lighting up the August sky - CBS News

Last 'Super Blue Moon' until 2037 rises tonight (phys.org)

Daily Moon Guide | Observe – Moon: NASA Science

Comments

This is a good response and right to the point. Good work using a direct quote from a solid source, as well as using multiple different sources. The only thing I would change is that you chose "true" when it seems like you are arguing that it is "exaggerated/misleading"

Answer 3

The moon is not actually blue, the reason they call it a blue moon is because of how rare it is. "A blue moon has nothing to do with the color of the Moon. Instead, it is all to do with the timing of full moons during the year." (Royal Museums Greenwich) 

https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/what-blue-moon-how-often-does-it-occur

Comments

How would you rate the claim?

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It is true the moon does not actually appear blue, but it is not called a blue moon because of its rarity. According to NASA, a blue moon is when a full moon occurs twice in the same month. This is not uncommon, as it happens every 2-3 years. What is uncommon is a super blue moon, which is what just recently occurred and won't happen again until 2037. I think it can misleading to say a blue moon is called a blue moon because of it's rarity.

Answer 4

Yes, there was a "blue moon" last week, but the definition of "blue moon" does not directly refer to the color of the moon. The moon rose on August 30, and the term comes from the saying "once in a blue moon." You can find more information in the link below.

https://www.space.com/15455-blue-moon.html

Comments

Building onto that, here's a quote from NASA:
"The older definition of Blue Moon, dating back to at least the 1500s, is the name for the third full Moon in a season that has four Moons. By this definition, the full Moon in August 2024 will be the Blue Moon and this full Moon, as the last full Moon of summer, shares some of the seasonal names from my posting for the August 1 full Moon. Neither of these definitions has anything to do with the color of the Moon, so the Blue Moon will not actually look blue. See https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/watchtheskies/07jul_bluemoon.html to learn about a time when the Moon actually turned blue!"

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2367/the-next-full-moon-is-a-supermoon-and-a-blue-moon/

Answer 5

Yes, there was indeed a Blue Moon on Aug. 30, Wednesday. But the term "Blue Moon" or "Super Moon" was not accurate to what we saw. The moon did not appear blue or have any features that would label it blue. The Last Scientific American claims "The moon won't appear particularly blue at this time..." To break it down: 

• The term "Blue Moon" doesn't reference the actual color---but refers to "when two moons occur in the same calendar month or the third full moon in a season that has four full moons." (The Last Scientific American)  
• "Super Moon" on the other hand is a reference to when the moon in its orbit appears closer to Earth making it look larger and brighter. 

CBS News as well announced that "While around 25% of full moons are supermoons, just 3% of full moons are blue moons, according to NASA. The next blue moon after the one on Aug. 30 will be in May 2026. Astronomy fans will be in for a special treat come 2037, which will feature super blue moons in January and March." 

CBS NEWS: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rare-super-blue-moon-august-30-how-to-see-it/ 

The Last Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-last-super-blue-moon-until-2037-rises-tonight-heres-how-to-see-it/ 

Comments

This was an extremely helpful fact-check! It was very clarifying on what a Blue Moon actually was, and I like how you provided credible sources to help explain it!

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This is helpful, and I liked how you used bullet points to make your statements more concise. The credible sources are also a great help for doing research on my own.

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This was a really helpful fact-check. Not only did you provide definition to what a blue moon really is, but you also provided an answer to the statement made.

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This is a precise fact-check. I love the details and sources you used to enhance your statement.

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Excellent fact check! You did a great job on finding the information, analyzing the sources, and including them in your claim. Your explanation to this question is precise and clear.

Answer 6

Yes, the statement that there was a blue moon was true. According to NASA, the term 'blue moon' refers to the second full moon in a single month. They stated that "On rare occasions, tiny particles in the air ― typically of smoke or dust ― can scatter away red wavelengths of light, causing the Moon to appear blue." However, this phenomenon is different than what is typically referred to as a 'blue moon'. Another reason that there was a lot of coverage of this specific moon was because of its size and categorization as a super moon. According to NASA, "The Moon will appear full for 3 days around the time of the full Moon, from Tuesday night to Friday morning." Tuesday night being August 30th. Additionally, according to NPR, "On Aug. 30, there will be a blue supermoon, which won't happen again until 2032." So the date of the original claim is slightly falsified, the uniqueness of the news was not. 

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/31/1191072404/supermoon-sturgeon-blue-august-rare-lunar-event

https://moon.nasa.gov/news/197/super-blue-moons-your-questions-answered/

Answer 7

Yes, there was a "blue moon" last week. The reason some people might be confused about it, is because the term "blue moon" isn't fully regarding the color. According to NASA, a blue moon is when we see the full moon twice in the same month. So, yes there was a "blue moon", but if you are talking about the actual color, no the moon was not blue (it may appear blue at times in certain places though).

https://moon.nasa.gov/news/197/super-blue-moons-your-questions-answered/

https://www.space.com/15455-blue-moon.html

Answer 8

There was a blue moon during that time frame, however, I am going to briefly clarify exactly what a blue moon is.

A blue moon is not literally blue (sadly). According to NASA, a Blue Moon is simply an occurrence where the full moon occurs for the second time in a month's span, which only happens once "every two to three years" (NASA).

NASA also states that the moon's cycle is 29.5 days, which is shorter than 11 of 12 months on the calendar. This allows every so often for the moon to cycle at the very beginning of a month with enough time to cycle back again.

https://moon.nasa.gov/news/197/super-blue-moons-your-questions-answered/

Answer 9

While the terminology of "blue moon" can make one think that the moon will appear blue in color, that is not the case. Yes, there was a blue moon, but that is a term, not a description about the color appearance. According to the NASA website, a blue moon is a term for moon that appears full more than once in a month.

Source:

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/2367/the-next-full-moon-is-a-supermoon-and-a-blue-moon/

Answer 10

No, the color of the moon is not actually blue when it is labeled as a "blue moon." "Blue moon" is a term that refers to when a full moon occurs twice in a month. Despite its lack of blue color, it is true that the most recent blue moon is rare and won't occur again until 2037. According to NASA, this recent event was considered a "super blue moon." A supermoon occurs when the moon passes through the point closest to the Earth, also called "perigee," making the moon appear larger than usual. When a blue moon combines with a supermoon, it is considered a "super blue moon." The combination of the two is very uncommon, which is why this event is more significant than a regular blue moon or super moon because a super blue moon won't happen again until 2037.