Once in a Blue Moon When the moon is closest to the earth in orbit, it is called a perigee, and the moon therefore appears thirty percent larger than usual. The Christian calendar depends on the phases of the moon to determine Easter or the Paschal Moon, as well as the Lenten moon. In our unique South African context, load shedding coincided with the most wonderful view of our moon on the evening of the 31st of August. Our section of the city had a blackout and thus the moon became the best entertainment on a winter’s night. We went outside and gazed up. Apparently, Saturn was also very close to the moon, although you needed a telescope to see it. A clever astronomer who had the camera lenses and telescopic attachments, managed to snap a photo of the event. Why is it blue? The apparent blue tinge of the moon could be atmospheric effects of water vapour but could also reflect some of the terrace elements of titanium oxide and iron on the moon itself, being made up of similar meta
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