Why the moon won't actually be blue tonight - video

Hunter’s Moon over the Alps by Stefano De Rosa (Italy): As the full Moon sinks in the west, the Sun rises in the east, lighting up the snow-capped Alpine horizon. Although both Moon and mountain are illuminated by sunlight in this image their different colours reveal the scattering effects of the Earth’s atmosphere on the white light of the Sun. The rays of the rising Sun pass through the full thickness of the air causing the blue, green and yellow light to be scattered in all directions and leaving only the red light to reach the distant mountains. The Moon is slightly higher in the sky, so its reflected sunlight is scattered less severely, and retains a warm yellow glow. (Stefano De Rosa)

July 2015 will see two full moons: the first occurred on July 2 and the second will take place on July 31.

This evening's "blue moon" will be the first one since 2012 — and the last until 2018 — is set to be seen in the sky.

However, that does not mean the Earth’s moon will appear blue to anyone that sees the full moon tonight. The history of how the second full moon in a calendar month came to be known as a “blue moon” is rather complex in itself.

Fortunately, Nasa has provided a simple explanation to the terminology in a short video – as well as explaining what it would take for the moon to actually appear blue, rather than its usual hue of pale grey and white.

Watch the video below to educate yourself on tonight’s blue moon:

Blue moons are due to the difference between calendar and lunar months. While a calendar month lasts from 28 to 31 days, a lunar month - the time interval between two full moons - is always 29.53 days long.