The moon rising in the sky today, May 31, 2026, will be essentially a Blue Micro Moon. This is not a normal full moon, but the second full moon in a month, the previous full moon was seen on May 1.
This is unusual because usually a lunar cycle is 29 and a half
days long and this means that usually a full moon is seen only once a month. But
many times 2 full moons are seen in a month and such second moons are called
blue moons.
Apart from this, there is also a seasonal blue moon and this term
is used for an additional full moon seen during an astronomical season. That
is, if 4 full moons are seen in 3 months instead of 3, the term seasonal blue
moon is used for this fourth moon.
This term is used for the size of the moon as seen from Earth. The
moon is not always at the same distance from Earth, but it continues to orbit
around the Earth.
When the full moon is seen when it is closest to the Earth, the
term supermoon is used, while the moon at its furthest distance from the Earth
is called a micromoon.
By the way, this term suggests that the moon will appear very
small, but a micromoon appears only 6% smaller than a normal moon and 14%
smaller than a supermoon. Usually, such a blue moon is seen once every 2 years,
while a micromoon appears 2 to 3 times every year.
But a blue micromoon appears decades later and we will have to
wait for many years to see it next time. It should be noted that a blue moon
does not mean that the color of the moon will turn blue.
On May 31, the moon will be 460,000 kilometers from Earth, while
it will appear 7% smaller and 30% less bright than usual.
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