Once in a blue moon

You may have noticed that some people were slowing down and gazing up at the night’s sky on August 31st. It was the second full moon in a single lunar cycle – which doesn’t happen very often, thus officially classifying it as a “blue moon.”

The moon’s color isn’t really blue, but people from around the world still gather in celebration (and curiosity) to see it. To some it’s just another full moon but for others, it’s a chance to experience something unique and special.

In a fitting tribute, the most recent blue moon happened on the night of Apollo 11 moonwalker Neil Armstrong’s family memorial service. In his family’s words:

The next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.

The next expected blue moon will rise above us in 2015. As you’ll see below, the phenomenon makes for great photos.

The blue moon over the city of Cincinnati, Ohio on the night of Neil Armstrong’s family memorial ceremony.

The second full moon in August rises above the Acropolis Hill in Athens.

The blue moon above the Indian city of Bhubaneswar.

A time lapse shot of the moon rising in Rautalampi, Finland.

Greeks and tourists gather for a blue moon event at the Roman Agora in Athens, Greece.

The capitol of Jordan, Amman

The blue moon shot through nature in Skopje, Macedonia.

-Juan Frausto

(Photo credit: Bill Ingalls, Biswaranjan Rout, Muhammad Hamed, Robert Atanasovsk, Vesa Vauhkonen, Louisa Gouliamaki)