Watch the live stream of the "blue moon" tonight. Click here to watch the rare celestial occurrence, which will not be available until 2015. The "blue moon" is not in fact blue-colored at all. The term refers to its rarity; blue moons are either the fourth full moon in a season or the second full moon in a month.

What is a Blue Moon? August 2012 Marks Rare Full Moon Event

Blue moons exist due to our calendar months being imperfectly synched to the lunar months; so it takes 29.5 days for the moon to orbit Earth, during which sky watchers observe all of its phases - resulting in the occasional two full moons within a single month.

The Blue Moon on Friday August 31, 2012 has coincided with the day a private service was held for the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong following his death last week.

'Blue Moon' First Photos

Armstrong died aged 82 in Ohio last Saturday, and it just so happens that the rare Blue Moon taking place on Friday will occur at the same time as the astronaut's private service. It is being called a fitting tribute to the man who will forever be linked to the moon.
The Blue Moon is the name given to a second full moon of any calendar month. It is a very rare occurrence which has given rise to the phrase "once in a blue moon."

The first full moon of the month occurred on Aug. 1, but this month's "blue moon" will take place on Friday and will be the last blue moon for three years, with another one not expected until 2015.

Blue moons exist due to our calendar months being imperfectly synched to the lunar months; so it takes 29.5 days for the moon to orbit Earth, during which sky watchers observe all of its phases - resulting in the occasional two full moons within a single month.
The 2nd full moon of the month though will not in fact be blue, although moons have been known to be portrayed in different colors due to various atmospheric conditions. For example after volcanic activity or forest fires, the moon can appear to take on a bluish or sometimes lavender coloration. This is because of soot and ash particles deposited high up into the Earth's atmosphere.
Already this year there was a Super Moon in May when the full moon appeared much larger than normal due to its closeness to the Earth.