Most years on average have 12 full moons, with one appearing each month. 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 a blue moon appeared on New Year's Eve was in 1990, and it won't happen again until 2028.
At the last New Year's full moon I was feeling very upbeat and positive. Shari, the kids, and I were in Los Angeles visiting family over the holidays. We had just returned from Japan and would soon be heading to Hawaii for the next three years of our Navy careers. There was something delightful coming and I felt it. I don't remember if I was aware of the blue moon that year. But I recognize a similarity in mood today. An optimism about the future. A feeling that everything is all right.
Beware: The moon is full tonight. People will party. Dogs will bite. Robbers will steal. Murderers will kill. - John Roach, National Geographic.
The article goes on to say that there is no conclusive evidence that the phase of the moon affects mood, and behavior. Maybe so, but experience tells me otherwise. Of course it's all subjective. Do I happen to notice a particular mood when I look into the sky and see the the full moon? I don't know. I like the romance though.
An Afghan man sits on a hill next to the waxing moon in Kabul December 30, 2009. When the moon becomes full tomorrow, December 31st, it will be the second full moon of December, known as a "blue moon". The next blue moon will occur on August 31, 2012. (REUTERS/Marko Djurica)
Striking picture and thoughts. I especially like the focus on the moon and the fuzzy soldier. I wonder these things as well.
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