In modern English, the above reads:
“If they say the moon is blue, We must believe that it is true.”
(Roy, William & Barlow, Jerome. Rede Me and Be Nott Wrothe, For I Say No Thynge But Trothe. London, 1528)
Indeed, this is a Blue Moon rising, but it is hardly blue. In fact, this is the second full Moon of the month; the first, the Flower Moon, appeared on 1 May. As such an event occurs only once every 30 months or so, the next double act will occur in December 2028.
The saying “blue moon” was first recorded in an anti-clerical pamphlet published in 1528 by the former Greenwich friars William Roy and Jerome Barlow as cited in the title above.
The expression “the moon is blue” referred to something that happens so rarely that it seems almost impossible. The phrase “once in a blue moon” is a later development of the same idea.
Today, astronomers use the term Blue Moon to describe the second full moon in the same calendar Today, astronomers use the term Blue Moon to describe the second full moon in the same calendar month. However, there is also an older seasonal definition: the third full moon in a season that contains four full moons. Finally, certain atmospheric conditions, such as smoke from wildfires or volcanic ash, can make the Moon appear bluish, although such events are relatively rare. With wildfires now occurring across many parts of the world, we may begin to see genuinely blue-looking Moons a little more often.
The Cotswold Way, Lansdown, near Bath, BANES, England UK
Thank you all for your visits, favours and comments, much appreciated.
