Last night Orange County nightwatchers enjoyed a rare sight—a seasonal blue moon.
Blue moons have two definitions. A seasonal blue moon is the third of four full moons to occur in a seasonal cycle. (That's the time between a solstice and an equinox, or vice versa, according to earthsky.org).
Spotting two full moons in a single month is also known as a blue moon, and is the definition given by the National Weather Service.
A seasonal blue moon is slightly more common and occurs every two to three years.
If you looked up last night, you probably noticed the moon wasn't actually particularly blue. But it was spectacular as it rose through patchy clouds.
Do you have a photo of last night's moon? Send them to Patch editor Pete Schelden: peter.schelden@patch.com.
Editor's note: The original version of this story reported the wrong blue moon type. Special thanks to Patch reader SJC fan for providing the correction.
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