Super Blue Moon: Understand the difference between a monthly and seasonal Blue Moon

Supermoons aren’t all that rare, with the beautiful moon phenomenon occurring three to four times a year. But what caused confusion about Monday’s supermoon was that it was called a Super Blue Moon, after all, that term is usually used when there are two full moons in the same month. something that will only happen on May 31, 2026.

So, was yesterday’s supermoon blue or not? We know it sounds complicated, but we’ll explain. The term ‘Blue Moon’ can have two meanings, one for each type of super blue moon..

Seasonal Blue Moon

The most traditional definition of a Blue Moon is that there are four full moons in the same season, with the third full moon in that period being a blue full moon.

There were four full moons between the winter solstice and spring equinox in 2024, so yesterday’s supermoon (19) was called a blue supermoon. The next seasonal blue moon will occur on August 20, 2032.

Monthly Blue Moon

The last time we had two full moons in the same month was August 30, 2023. According to NASA, the term Monthly Blue Moon arose from a confusion in the interpretation of the traditional definition.

Currently, for astronomy, the monthly blue moon is seen as an alternative to the long-awaited lunar event.

Blue Moons: How rare are they?

A monthly Blue Moon occurs when there are two full moons in the same month, one at the beginning and one at the end, because the lunar cycle lasts about 29.5 days on average. A seasonal Blue Moon occurs less frequently than a monthly one. but both events occur every two or three years.

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