Blue Moon Set to Hang Over Edina Tonight

A rare event will be taking place in Edina—and throughout the world—Friday night, Aug. 31, as a blue moon rises in the night skies.

Keep in mind, the moon won't literally be blue this evening. The term "blue moon" has often referred to rare or uncommon events.

In this case, farmers once used the term to signify the third full moon in a season that has four full moons rather than the typical three. It has since been modified to refer to the second full moon in a given month—we already had one on Aug. 1—or the 13th in a calendar year.

Members of the Edina Model Yacht Club will be gathering in Centennial Lakes Park at 8 p.m. on Aug. 31 to celebrate the blue moon, by holding a "Once In A Blue Moon" event. Lights will be glowing on members' remote-controlled boats as they welcome August's second full moon.

The club will hold a similar event in 2015, when the next blue moon is set to occur.

Blue moons happen simply because lunar months—29.5 day—are not equal in length to calendar months. The phenomena happens roughly once every 2.7 years.

Some years even see two blue moons, though it's even rarer. The last took place in 1999, with another set to happen in 2018.

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