"Micro Blue Moon" phenomenon On Visakha Bucha night, 31 May 2026, the full moon will be at its farthest distance from Earth this year, appearing slightly smaller than usual. It is clarified that the moon does not turn blue.
On 25 May 2026, a report stated that the Facebook pageNARIT, the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand,posted that the "Micro Blue Moon" will occur on Visakha Bucha night, 31 May 2026. The full moon will be at its farthest distance from Earth this year and will be the second full moon of the month. The moon will appear slightly smaller than usual and will not turn blue in any way.
On 31 May 2026, which coincides with Visakha Bucha Day, the "Micro Full Moon" phenomenon will occur at about 15:00, with the full moon at approximately 406,127 kilometers from Earth. It is also the second full moon of the month, called a "Blue Moon." Astronomers refer to the combination of these two phenomena as "Micro Blue Moon." The last occurrence was about six years ago, on 31 October 2020. On that night, the full moon appeared slightly smaller than usual.
The moon orbits Earth in an elliptical path, completing one orbit in about 27.3 days. Within a month, there are days when the moon is closest and farthest from Earth. The closest point is called Perigee, at an average distance of about 357,000 kilometers, and the farthest point is Apogee, averaging about 406,000 kilometers. When the full moon coincides with these positions, the phenomena are called "Super Full Moon" and "Micro Full Moon," respectively.
Regarding "Blue Moon," it refers to the second full moon in one month, which is a relatively rare event. The moon does not actually turn blue. Since the lunar phase cycle takes about 29.5 days, some months with 31 days can have two full moons. Astronomers use the term "Blue Moon" derived from the English idiom "Once in a blue moon," meaning a rare or infrequent event.
The next occurrence of the combined phenomena of the closest or farthest full moon and the second full moon of the month will be the "Super Blue Moon," which will happen on 30 March 2029. Those interested can follow more astronomical event updates on the Facebook page of NARIT, the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand.
Information from the Facebook page of NARIT, the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand.