The Blue Moon and Full Moon of 2012 (Photos)

Blue Moon of New York City #2

Tomsajinsa

Night sky watcher Tomsajinsa sent in this photo of the blue moon taken in NYC, August 31, 2012.

August 2012 has two full moons, Aug. 1 and Aug. 31, making the second event a so-called "blue moon." See amazing views of the August 2012 moon, including different phases, here.

Blue Moon of Osaka, Japan

Angela Saeki

Night sky watcher Angela Saeki caught the blue moon from her balcony on the 34th floor in Osaka, Japan, August 30, 2012.

Once-in-a-Blue-Moon Event Is Not Really Blue (Infographic)

Karl Tate, SPACE.com

Thought to be called "blue" after an old english term meaning "betrayer," a Blue Moon is an extra full moon that occurs due to a quirk of the calendar. [See the full Blue Moon Infographic here.]

Almost Blue Moon

Tom Sajinsa

Night sky watcher Tom Sajinsa sent in the following picture of the moon. He writes: "Setting up for the blue moon, 8/28/12 11:15 pm NYC moon."

August 2012 Blue Moon in Minot, SD

David Stockinger

Night sky watcher David Stockinger took this photo of the August 2012 blue moon in Minot, SD, on August 30, 2012.

Blue Moon of New York City

Tomsajinsa

Night sky watcher Tomsajinsa sent in this photo of the blue moon taken in NYC, August 31, 2012.

Blue Moon of Osaka, Japan #2

Angela Saeki

Night sky watcher Angela Saeki caught the blue moon from her balcony on the 34th floor in Osaka, Japan, August 30, 2012.

Blue Moon of New York City #3

Tomsajinsa

Night sky watcher Tomsajinsa sent in this photo of the blue moon taken in NYC, August 31, 2012.

Full Moon and Airplane: Sid Vedula

Sid Vedula

Photographer Sid Vedula captured this amazing view of the full moon of Aug. 1, 2012, from Houston, TX, with a passing airplane in silhouette.

Squashed Full Moon of Aug. 1, 2012

NASA

The Aug. 1, 2012, full moon appears squashed due to distortions by Earth's atmosphere in this photo by an astronaut on the International Space Station.

August 2012 Full Moon over Portland, OR

Alamelu Sundaramoorthy

Night sky watcher Alamelu Sundaramoorthy sent in this photo of the full moon taken on August 2, 2012. Sundaramoorthy is based in Portland, OR.

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