Full Moon

The first thing you have to remember about the new Ray Lewis' Full Moon Bar-B-Que is that it's owned by a guy who once said he keeps his body fat at 7 percent. Luckily the rest of us aren't quite so disciplined, so we can enjoy the fried onion rings, ribs, potato salad and pecan pie. But don't expect No. 52 to be eating at the table next to you (although our waitress told us he does come in sometimes). Ray Lewis' Full Moon Bar-B-Que, in the Can Company in the former Atlantic restaurant, is the Baltimore outpost of a popular Birmingham take-out chain.

By most people's definition of the term, a Blue Moon arrives on Friday. But you can look for its bright shine Thursday night, too. It is the second full moon of this month -- the first was Aug. 1, the Green Corn Moon. Commonly, since this full moon falls before we say goodbye to August, it's known as a Blue Moon. The moon reaches its "full" phase at 9:58 a.m. Friday, making both Thursday and Friday nights about equally good for photo opportunities or moonlit walks. Clear or only slightly cloudy skies are in the forecast for both nights, too. There won't be another month with two full moons again until July 2015.

C louds will likely obscure it, but there's an odd full moon set to rise over Baltimore at 4:53 p.m. EST today. Sometimes called the Old Moon , or the Moon After Yule, this one is also the second full moon of the month, which has come to be called a Blue Moon . It would not qualify under an older tradition that reserved the name for the third full moon in a season with four. Earth's shadow will partially eclipse the moon beginning just before 2 p.m. EST. Alas, the eclipse won't be visible from Maryland.

Remember the “supermoon” of March 2011? The full moon appeared larger than usual because of its proximity to Earth. This month's full moon, known as the Full Flower Moon, could be almost as spectacular. That's because it will be nearly as close as it was last March. It will be about 250 miles further from Earth than the 221,000 mile-distance it was March 19, 2011. The moon's average distance from Earth is about 239,000 miles, according to EarthSky.org. The full moon arrives at 11:35 p.m. Saturday, within an hour of the moon's perigee.