Audio Script
Stunning 鈥淏lue Moon鈥� expected to shine brightly Friday night
July 30, 2015听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Matt Benjamin
It鈥檚 called a 鈥淏lue Moon鈥� and Friday evening at dusk if you look to the eastern horizon you鈥檒l get to see one as it rises into the night sky. And what is a blue moon you might ask? It鈥檚 not because it鈥檚 blue. It鈥檚 a term used to describe a second full moon in one calendar month. The first one happened July 2. And it鈥檚 something that doesn鈥檛 happen very often, says Matt Benjamin, education programs manager at CU-Boulder鈥檚 Fiske Planetarium.
CUT 1 鈥淥ur calendar months range from 30 to 31 days in length. The lunar cycle is right around 28, 29 days. Most months a full moon is happening on the third or forth or anytime after means you only get one full moon a month. (:15) But on those very unique occasions you can have a full moon on the first day or two of the month and still have time in that calendar month for the moon to come back to its full phase. And that just doesn鈥檛 happen all that often - may happen every year or so.鈥� (:30)
And Benjamin points out that the term - once in a blue moon - has its roots in this rare celestial event.
CUT 2 鈥淭his is a phrase used a lot. When you say, 鈥榦nce in a blue moon.鈥� And it鈥檚 usually meant to indicate that a lot of time passes 鈥� that鈥檚 it鈥檚 a rare event to signify that what ever you are referring to it doesn鈥檛 happen all that often.鈥� (:12)
The best time to see the blue moon will be at sunset when it begins its rise into the eastern night sky, says Benjamin.
CUT 3 鈥滷ull moons rise at sunset because they are opposite the sun so wherever the sun is setting the moon will be opposite. And so at sunset the full moon will rise and really become dominant - probably anywhere around 9 to 10 o鈥檆lock. And it will look quite stunning.鈥� (:17)
He also expects the moon will be quite colorful due to the amount of haze and smoke in the air from wildfires in northern California and the Pacific Northwest.
CUT 4 鈥淐ertainly with a lot of smoke in the atmosphere you are going to see some good color on the moon. When it鈥檚 low on the horizon it will be a little orangish, maybe a little red and then when it gets high you might see it change a little bit of color. So it鈥檒l be quite beautiful on Friday. I suspect it will be quite nice.鈥� (:15)
But does the moon really turn blue? Well, it can appear to look blue but not due to the moon actually turning blue, says Benjamin.
CUT 5 鈥淎nd not because of anything celestial or anything having to do with the Earth or the moon鈥檚 orbit or our position around the sun - but the optical effects can happen when you have smoke or ash in the atmosphere. (:14) So volcanic eruptions or smoke from fires can give a perception or make the atmosphere adjust the light in such a way that the moon can appear bluish in color.鈥� (:26)
And so with all the fires in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California Benjamin says there鈥檚 a chance that many people there may actually see the moon look a little bluish on Friday.
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