This weekend's Blue Moon, the second full moon in one month, is also a micromoon, because it is at the moon's apogee, the furthest point from Earth in its orbit. The best moment to catch it, writes EarthSky, is just before 4 a.m. Sunday morning in Central Daylight Time.
It won't be so small you'll have trouble finding it, assuming the weather cooperates. Look southeast and you'll find it appearing next to Antares in the constellation Scorpius, not far over the horizon. Note that the moon will not appear blue, which only occurs when faintly obscured by light-scattering dust.
Blue-colored moons in images – such as the images on this page – are often made using special blue camera filters or in a post-processing program such as PhotoShop. Usually, but not always. … In modern times, most of us know that Blue Moons emerged from folklore. We call a full moon a Blue Moon when it's the 2nd full moon of a single calendar month. This sort of Blue Moon happens seven times in every 19 years, or about every two to three years.
If you miss it, next one is on December 31, 2028.
We'll have a Blue Moon on May 31, 2026. Join EarthSky's Deborah Byrd live at noon CDT (17 UTC) on Wednesday, May 27, to explore the truth behind Blue Moons. We'll talk about monthly and seasonal Blue Moons, whether Blue Moons are indeed rare, and where the name came from. Find out why these moons have captured people's imaginations for generations. Plus … learn the identity of that bright red star near this May 2026 Blue Moon! And learn why this Blue Moon is also 2026's smallest full moon.
Previously: Halloween 2020 will have the first global blue moon since World War II
