ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, June 29, 1996 TAG: 9607010008
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: TRACY WHITAKER STAFF WRITER
Is there something you do just once in a blue moon?
In that case, the time is now: June is a blue-moon month.
The New River Valley last saw a full moon June 1 and the moon will wax full again Sunday, according to the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. The phrase "once in a blue moon" refers to times when there are two full moons in one month, a phenomenon that occurs about every 2.7 years.
The phrase "once in a blue moon" has dual meanings: It also alludes to the rare occasions when the moon actually appears to be blue. Particles of dust in the atmosphere affect the color of light reflected by the moon from the sun. Large amounts of dust and water vapor from volcanic explosions or other natural phenomena, like a major forest fire burning nearby, can make the moon look blue.
On June 17, when New Zealand's Mount Ruapehu erupted, steam and ash spewed eight miles into the sky. Ash several inches deep fell on farms and forest as far as 70 miles north of peak, creating atmospheric conditions that make sighting a blue moon possible.
Southwest Virginia won't see both kinds of full moons in June, though. According to Patrick Evans, a WDBJ-TV weatherman, it is very unlikely that the ash from the Southern Hemisphere volcano will reach North America.
"New Zealanders may notice some color changes in their full moon, but most likely they'll experience brilliantly colored sunsets," Evans said. "When the Philippine's Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, it was so dramatic and prolonged that ash eventually permeated most of the upper atmosphere and worked its way around the globe. I recall that we had great sunsets for a while and a glorious orange-red full moon."
Literature, songs and stories have spoken of blue moons for hundreds of years. The first time the expression appears was before Shakespeare's time - dating back to 1528, according to The Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins. In a book called "Rede Me and Be Not Wroth" the lines "[If] they say the mone is blew/We must believe that it is true" indicate that nobody really believed the moon ever was blue. So "once in a blue moon" originally meant never.
"Blue Moon of Kentucky" and "Blue Moon" both have that adhesive quality that causes some tunes to stick in your head and repeat endlessly. (It's enough to drive one looney.)
Cathryn Hankla, a local author, named her novel after the phenomena: "Blue Moon Over Poorwater."
In mythology and folklore, the moon holds a lofty place. One old wives' tale says it is a good idea to bow to the new moon and turn over any money you may have in your pocket for this will lead to it being doubled before the month is out.
Maybe it works with lottery tickets?
LENGTH: Medium: 54 linesby CNB