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New moon oddity has no name July 2000 has two new moons in it. In 1999, January and March had two full moons. The second full moon in a month is called a "blue moon." What do we call the second new moon in a month? How often does that happen? -- Gwendolyn S., Medford You may have uncovered a real rarity, Gwendolyn -- a natural event that has no name. "There's no term that I know of for that phenomenon," said Jim Todd, planetarium director at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland. Todd said two new moons occur in one month with about the same frequency as two full moons -- typically about once every three years. But it's not the sort of thing that astronomers pay much attention to. In the spirit of scientific inquiry we put your question to the folks at the "Old Farmer's Almanac." Almanac publisher John Pierce said he couldn't recall anyone ever offering a suggestion for naming the second new moon in a month. "You could go with marketing speak and call it `new and improved"' he quipped. Pierce suggested you might want to post your question on the Almanac's Web site. The address is: www.almanac.com/ From the main page, click on the "Feedback" heading to reach the "Question of the Day" feature. (Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification.) Today's News Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA