Blue Moon and Mars Together Light Up the Sky May 21-22

On May 21-22, astronomy lovers around the world will not only have the opportunity to watch a rare blue full moon but also observe Mars at its closest position to Earth.

Blue moon is a very rare astronomical phenomenon. Photo: Earthsky.

According to Futurism, the Moon appears to be blue in the night sky. This is a very rare phenomenon, due to dust particles in the atmosphere scattering light, making the Moon appear blue when viewed from the ground.

Earthsky.org offers two definitions of a blue moon. Traditionally, a blue moon refers to the third full moon in a season of four full moons. A season is the period between a solstice and an equinox. Typically, there are only three full moons in a season. Therefore, a four-moon event in a season is extremely rare and has not occurred since August 2013.

Mars will be at its closest point to Earth in a decade. Photo: Alamy.

Another definition of a blue moon is the second full moon in the same calendar month. Astronomers calculate that there are 235 full moons in 19 calendar years, which corresponds to 228 months. So 7 out of 19 years will have 2 full moons in the same month and 4 full moons in a season.

At the same time as the blue moon, Mars will align with the Sun on May 22, when Earth passes between Mars and the Sun this week. This event occurs every 2 years and 50 days. The brightness of Mars in the sky depends on the position of the planet and Earth in their orbit around the Sun. This year, Mars will be at its closest point to Earth in a decade, giving astronomers the best chance of seeing it.

According to VNE