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(CNN) – The full moon of May is generally known as the moon of the flowers because of all the blooms of this month. This year, it coincides with a rare event: a blue moon.
Of course, Saturday's moon will not be really blue. And the reason for the name is a little confusing.
A blue moon is the second of the two full moons of the month, but may also be the third of four full moons of a season. In this case, it is the third of four full moons this spring. These do not happen as often as two full moons a month.
"The name" Blue Moon "has nothing to do with the color of the moon," wrote Gianluca Masi, astrophysicist and director of the virtual telescope project in Rome, in an e-mail. "Every two or three years we have 13 full moons in the year so we can have four full moons during a given season or two full moons during a given month. . "
It's the last seasonal blue moon until August 2021.
Very rarely, both types of blue moons occur in one year; this will happen in 2048, with a monthly blue moon in January and a seasonal one in August.
Sometimes the moon may look blue during certain sky conditions, but this can not be predicted.
So, Saturday, enjoy the sight of the beautiful moon with some understanding of what it means. And to witness a spectacular full moon on Rome's rooftops, watch the live stream provided by the Virtual Telescope Project.
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