Will the moon actually look blue?

No. The term “blue moon” doesn’t really describe its color; it’s mostly its usual milky gray. (Certain phenomena, like wildfires and volcanic eruptions, can tint the moon blue, the same visual effect that gave North American skies an orange hue this summer.)

According to NASA, the term “blue moon” used to refer to the third full moon in a season that had four full moons. The newer definition — the second full moon in a month — was coined by the magazine Sky & Telescope in 1946.