Once in a Blue Moon!

* New Year's Eve will be extra special with a rare blue moon. While celebrating, do remember to look up and see this Blue Moon. Enjoy the extra moonlight on New Year's Eve. Well, well, well, it only happens once in a Blue Moon~!

Once in a blue moon there is one on New Year's Eve. Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't expect it to be blue - the name has nothing to do with the color of our closest celestial neighbor. A full moon occurred on Dec. 2. It will appear again on Thursday in time for the New Year's countdown.

The New Year's Eve blue moon will be visible in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, and Africa. For partygoers in Australia and Asia, the full moon does not show up until New Year's Day, making January a blue moon month for them.

A full moon occurs every 29.5 days, and most years have 12. On average, an extra full moon in a month - a BLUE MOON - occurs every 2.5 years. The last time there was a lunar double take was in May 2007. New Year's Eve blue moons are rarer, occurring every 19 years. The last time was in 1990; the next one won't come again until 2028. Happy New Year!

- Yahoo! News -