Science / Medicine : Once in Blue Moon, and It Is Tonight

There will be a full moon tonight, the second full moon of December, which makes tonight’s full moon a blue moon.

The moon itself won’t be blue, however. The phrase refers to the second full moon in one calendar month. The origin of the label “blue moon” seems to be lost in time.

A blue moon occurs only once every several years, giving rise to the expression “once in a blue moon.” The last was in May, 1988, and the next will occur in August, 1993.

A New Year’s Eve blue moon is rarer still. The last time this happened was in 1971 and the next blue moon on New Year’s Eve in the Pacific time zone won’t happen again until 2009, according to the Griffith Observatory.

The Griffith Observatory’s Sky Report can provide additional information about these celestial events. Call (213) 663-8171.

ENVIRONMENT

The Sierra Club’s Natural Science Section will lead a trip to study the plants, animals and salt marsh ecology of Upper Newport Bay on Saturday at 9 a.m. Call (714) 544-8253.

MARINE SCIENCE

Visitors to the Channel Islands National Park can learn about some of the more than 20 species of cetaceans, including whales and dolphins, that make the Santa Barbara Channel their home in a program at the park Visitor Center in Ventura on Tuesday at 2 p.m. Call (805) 644-8262.

NATURAL HISTORY

“Gifts From the Great Land: Alaskan Artifacts from the National Museum of Finland,” an exhibit of more than 400 artifacts including weapons, costumes and artworks of native Alaskans from the 1800s is at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County through April 7. A number of educational programs are scheduled in conjunction with the exhibit, including programs on Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Call (213) 744-3466.

ORNITHOLOGY

Authors Esther and Robert Tyrrell will discuss the hummingbirds of the Caribbean at the Audubon Society meeting Jan. 8 at 8 p.m. in Plummer Park, after the monthly ID Workshop at 7:30. Call (213) 876-0202.

ASTRONOMY

The constellations of the winter skies and the stories surrounding them will be the topic of the El Camino College Planetarium program Jan. 11, 18 and 25 at 8 p.m. Tickets must be purchased through the auditorium box office; call (213) 329-5345. For program information call (213) 715-3200.

HEALTH/MEDICINE

The Mature Health Resources Foundation will be sponsoring its monthly MedAccess Plus health fair at its office in Brea on Jan. 9 at 9 a.m. Free cholesterol screening and additional tests will be available. Call (714) 255-8247.