Once in a blue moon -- today's the day!
Today is a rare day indeed -- tonight's full moon is a "blue moon." Or is it?
True, it is the second full moon to fall in the month of May, which, according to mid-20th century folklore, makes it a blue moon. But the editors of Sky and Telescope magazine have done some sleuthing into the origin of that popular notion. They discovered that this was actually a misinterpretation of a 19th century Maine almanac by an amateur astronomer in the 1940s. The whole story has more to do with calendars and other systems for reckoning days than it does with whether or not the moon appears blue. It's a curious story -- check it out for yourself.
Comments
oops!
Paula- I love when history bluffs. I love the blunders and bloopers that are not in the history books. I have several books with the themes "AMERICAN AND WORLD HISTORY; WHAT THEY DIDN'T TELL YOU IN SCHOOL" When I read about mistakes and misprints, it tells me a lot about documentation. How about the Bible? I once heard there were a couple of dozen gospel writers, but only 4 made the Book. I want to read what the other 20 wrote. They must've had dirt on someone, and the editors and sensors said NO WAY.
" I hate a dirty joke, I do. Unless it's told by someone who, knows how to tell it. " Groucho Marx as Captain Spalding