A rare ‘Blue Moon’ is coming to the night’s sky this month: Here’s how to see it.

Get your telescopes ready, because a rare spectacle is set to light up the night sky later this month. 205focus.com is tracking the upcoming arrival of a Blue Moon, a celestial event you won't want to miss.

When to catch the Blue Moon

While the Blue Moon will make its presence felt during the late night of May 30, enthusiasts will need to adjust their clocks to get the best view. The moon is slated to reach its peak fullness at 3:45 a.m. on May 31. For the most impressive display, look toward the west just before the sun rises.

What is a Blue Moon?

Despite the poetic name, don't go hunting for an actual blue-colored moon. The moniker is a bit misleading, as the term does not describe the physical color of the lunar surface. According to EarthSky, there are several different types of Blue Moons, including folkloric and seasonal variations.

The specific occurrence taking place on May 30 is the rare monthly Blue Moon—the designation given when two full moons occur within the span of a single calendar month. This creates a scenario where we experience 13 full moons in a year rather than the usual 12. These monthly Blue Moons are infrequent, occurring only seven times over a 19-year cycle.

The history behind the name

The term as we know it today has roots in a 1946 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine, in an article penned by James Hugh Pruett titled “Once in a Blue Moon.” Pruett leaned on a 1937 Maine Farmer’s Almanac, which simplified the traditional seasonal definition of a Blue Moon—the third of four full moons in a season—into the version recognized by stargazers nearly 100 years later.