Blue Moon and Neil Armstrong's Funeral Both Occur Friday

Like a cosmic red carpet, a blue moon will be rolled out on Friday to honor the first man to walk there.

Neil Armstrong will be laid to rest the same day. Armstrong died Saturday at age 82, and a private service is planned in Cincinnati, Politico reported.

On Friday the phrase, "once in a blue moon" will apply, as August ends with the second full moon of the month. August's first full moon was on Aug. 1.

Modern folklore has dubbed the occurrence of two full moons in a month as a blue moon, according to the science website EarthSky.org. The blue moon happens only every two to three years; the next one isn’t expected until July 2015.

The moon may be doubly blue Friday because of the funeral service for Neil Armstrong, but it doesn't actually change color. (It isn't made of cheese, either.) Sometimes conditions like smoke can make it appear blue-colored, according to EarthSky.org.

The National Weather Service says Friday it will be hot, with temperatures topping out at 95 degrees in Elmhurst. A slight chance of storms is possible, but those are likely after 1 a.m., so the sky should be clear for blue moon viewing.

In fact, the moon will be at its fullest at 8:58 a.m. central time, according to the Farmers' Almanac.

Other blue moon references include:

The phrase "once in a blue moon" dates back to medieval England and can be found in text dating back to 1528. At that time it mean something was impossibile.

Beer drinkers know Blue Moon, a Belgian-style wheat ale, is best served with an orange. 

There was actually a musical called the Blue Moon, which was set in India during the British rule of the continent. 

Blue Moon was a song written by Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart. The song has been covered over the years by Mel Tormé, Elvis Presley and the Marcels.

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