If 2020 wasn’t wild enough already, it appears that Halloween will be extra spooky this year. There’s a rare full moon on the rise.
Halloween Full Moon
For the first time since 2001 there will be a full moon on Halloween. And if that wasn’t cool (or cursed?) enough for you, it’s also going to be a blue moon.
This only happens on Halloween every 18-19 years, or four times a century. According to Farmer’s Almanac the next Halloween full blue moons will occur in 2039, 2058, 2077, and 2096.
I for one am deeply unsurprised that a full moon is rearing its head on Halloween in 2020. Considering everything else going on, that tracks. I for one am choosing to take this as a positive sign and will try to let the full moon fill me with positive vibes only come October 31.
As a side note though, there will be a total of 13 full moons in 2020. So enjoy that.
What is a blue moon?
Blue moons aren’t actually named after the colour. They just look like regular full moons. That being said, if the moon ever looks blue to you, that’s thanks to dust in the atmosphere.
As it happens, there are two different definitions for this type of moon.
The first is a seasonal blue moon. This is the third full moon in as astronomical season where four full moons occur.
The astronomical seasons are as follows:
Spring begins on the spring equinox, summer on the summer solstice, autumn on the autumn equinox and winter on the winter solstice. Each new season begins when the previous one ends. Every year these seasons vary because the equinox and solstice dates change.
The second type is a monthly blue moon. This marks the second full moon to fall in a single month and it’s where the phrase ‘once in a blue moon’ comes from. This is the type of blue moon Halloween 2020 will be experiencing. And because the lunar cycle is only 29.5 days long, any full moon that falls on Halloween will always be a blue moon.