"You Knew Just What I Was There For"

Last night's New Year's Eve Blue Moon was the first New Year's Eve Blue Moon since 1990. That means that this was the second Full Moon in a month. This is something which happens about every 2.7 years. Interesting article here which explains the whole story about the Blue Moon lore.

The first guy who used the Blue Moon idea in terms of the Full Moon actually got the info wrong. According to the article he was an amateur astronomer writing for an astronomy magazine. His name was James Hugh Pruett. Just because I'm nuts I started wondering if there was anything about Pruett's natal moon which would look extra strange. Don't have a birth time for the guy but did find his birth date. Turns out he would have had an Aquarius Moon. That would have given him an electric blue moon. Also, Pruett was born on the last degree of Gemini which puts his Sun within reach of the Cancer Point or Summer Solstice. Also, he had a conjunction of Mercury to Saturn in the sign of Cancer. None of this really means much, I guess.

I did notice a couple of details which might explain why Pruett made the error and also why he still managed to make the Blue Moon idea famous.

James Hugh Pruett, the Blue Moon Guy
b. June 20, 1886 Weston, Oregon

Sun 30 Gemini; Moon Aquarius; NN 11 Virgo.

Saturn conjunct Mercury in Cancer which is the sign ruled by the Moon. Both of these planets were conspiring to bring out Cancer's silly side in Pruett's chart. In 1946 when Pruett published the article he was going through his Saturn Return. By default Saturn rules all things House Ten, which is what you're known for.

I sort of just had to wonder if Pruett's progressed Mercury were moving Retrograde. Yup. It was at 21 Leo and snarling up his communications. Leo is the Master of Tall Tales.

Pruett was also born during the conjunction of Neptune to Pluto. These guys were all amateur astronomers. I wonder if the Babylonians, who were great astronomers, were influenced heavily by some sort of a big Neptune-Pluto conjunction.

The mistake that Pruett made was to say that a Blue Moon is the 3d Full Moon in a Season where there are 4 Full Moons. That's really confusing. Two astronomers came along and set the record straight in 1999. They explained that Blue Moons happen when there are two Full Moons in a month.








http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20091231/sc_space/tonightsbluemoonallabigmistake