Kathmandu, June 30:

Here is both a feel-good factor and a consolation for those who have been scared to their bones by scaremongers in recent weeks that a quake could rock Nepal.

That feel-good factor is the phenomenon of what is called the Blue Moon, which graced the sky tonight and has been billed as something which heralds “good time.”

Also associated with romance, it is watched and loved by lovers. However, while a section of god-fearing men and women sought blessings from the moon in full bloom depending on how long the overcast conditions hid the moon, not many were perhaps aware that what they were watching was a Blue Moon.

The Blue Moon denotes a second Full Moon falling in a single month, thus vindicating its figurative connotation “not very often”. The expression “Blue Moon” is known to be part of the English language for the last 400 years.

Noted astrologer Damodar Lohani shared a general belief going back to centuries that the Blue Moon actually heralds good times. Hold your breathe, for websites have claimed there have been occasions when colour, too, has turned blue.

“We do not give much importance to it. That is because Blue Moon has reference in American almanac. But we still say that the phenomenon heralds good times. It heralds good rainfall,” Lohani said. While Blue Moon is defined as second Full Moon to occur in a single calendar month, the average interval between two Full Moons is about 29.5 days. Since the length

of an average month is roughly 30.5 days, this explains the reason why the Blue Moon is a rarity.

On average, there will be 41 months that have two Full Moons in every century, meaning once in a Blue Moon means once every two-and-a-half years. Lohani noted that much like “Blue Moon”, the “New Moon” is a rarity and is known to recur as much as “Blue Moon” does. While months which have 31 days are known to be have “Blue Moon”, the month which misses out even a single Full Moon is February.