Is The Green Moon Phenomenon True? Find Out The Answer, And More Info About Special Upcoming Moons

The Green Moon phenomenon has been floating all around the social media-sphere and passed along as veritable fact, but is it really happening? Sources say nay. Al.Com noted that rumors of a “Green Moon” are actually a hoax, but there will still be a special moon coming our way in the near future.

“The urban legend apparently started with Facebook. Snopes reported that it gained traction starting with a photo that claimed May 29 would be the day the moon turned green.”

The gag was apparently started as a veiled reference to 4/20/16, the date widely considered a day dedicated to weed. Hoax perpetrators claimed the moon turning green would be the first time this phenomenon had happened in 420 years (see what they did there?). The Moon isn’t turning green this month (or ever), but there are still a few different events happening in the night sky soon.

For one thing, the moon and Mars will be visible in the sky late on April 24. EarthSky.org stated that the red planet can be used to locate Earth’s moon late in the evening April 24 through early morning on April 25. The site also noted that Saturn and the star Antares will be hanging out with Mars and the Moon in the night sky during that same time period.

Even though the Green Moon is a hoax, the moon has been capable of changing colors in the past. For instance, the deep red “Blood Moon” occurs when Earth overshadows the Moon, thus casting Earth’s shadow onto the Moon. Blood Moons are a very rare occurrence, but can be amazing to view.

There has also been talk of a Pink Moon, which may sound nice, but is not actually pink. Discovery News found that the so-called “Pink Moon” is named for the flowers that typically open in April, especially one called wild ground phlox. The moon’s lack of color doesn’t have to be all anti-climactic, though — tonight’s moon will appear smaller than typical, earning it the name “Mini-Moon.” This might be due to the distance of the moon from Earth, or it could be that conditions around the moon make it appear smaller (i.e. if there are too many clouds or other celestial objects obscuring it).

The moon will appear to be smaller in size on full moon day today, a phenomenon known as 'Mini Moon' which will recur only after 15 years

— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) April 21, 2016

It’s fair to say that the “Mini-Moon” anomaly happens only once in a “blue moon” (see what we did there?), and is probably a sight worth seeing. If you’re disappointed by the lack of greenage in the moon this week, there are still plenty of night sky events worth a look at. Sky And Telescope reported on some of the highlights that will be occurring in outer space this week, including Jupiter shining brightly in the south as the sun sinks on April 26.

The hoax claimed that the green moon would be occurring due to a movement by Uranus that would bring it closer to the moon, thus casting the gas giant’s green shadow on Earth’s moon. As exciting as that might seem, none of it is true. In fact, at its closest, Uranus is still an astounding 2.57 billion kilometers from Earth, so the fact that it would move that close is pretty hard to believe.

[Image via Mike Peel, Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY SA 3.0]