Missoula Just Had a “Blue Moon,” Did You Miss It?

Missoula just had a “once in a blue moon” moment, but you might have missed it if you weren’t up at 5:45 this morning, July 31. 

"A blue moon is when we have to full moons in one month," National Weather Service Meteorologist Luke Robinson said. "It's pretty rare. The last time this happened was in 2012."

Blue moons occur because our calendars are no longer synced to the moon’s 27 day cycle. Robinson says we’ll have to wait a few more years till it happens again.

"The next time it will happen will be January 31, 2018," Robinson said.

Of course, the moon wasn’t actually blue Friday morning, that only happens when there is a lot of dust or smoke in the air, something that has been mostly absent this summer despite the dry conditions.