July ends with a Blue Moon

We had a full moon on July 1st at 9:20 PM CDT. Normally there is only one full moon per month but this month there are two. The second full moon of the month is called a Blue Moon and occurs Friday, July 31st. Our skies will be mostly clear to view the full moon as it sets in the west Friday morning at 6:24 or when it rises in the east Friday evening at 8:26.

You may have heard the phrase “once in a blue moon” which originally meant something so rare you would be lucky (or unlucky) to see it in your lifetime, according to NASA.

During most years Earth experiences 12 full moons, one in each month. But some years, such as 2015, have 13 full moons. The 13th full moon gets the name Blue Moon.

The last Blue Moon was in August 2012 and the next one won’t occur until January 2018.