Don’t panic, but Halloween will have a full moon this year — and it’s a blue moon
A rare phenomenon is expected in the sky this Halloween, but don’t get too spooked out.
It’s a blue moon, an unusual treat that happens about every two and a half years, according to NASA.
Despite its name, officials say the moon won’t actually look the color blue. The blue moon instead will resemble a regular full moon — because it is one.
Blue moon is the term used for the extra full moon that occurs during a season or a month, NASA says. Next month, full moons are expected on both Oct. 1 and Oct. 31, making the second one a blue moon.
Adding to an already unique year, it will be the first time in decades that a full moon will appear in the sky on Halloween, experts say.
“In 2001, ghosts and goblins in Central and Pacific time zones trick-or-treated by the light of a full Moon, but a Halloween full Moon hadn’t appeared for everyone in all time zones since 1944,” the Farmers’ Almanac said on its website.
If you miss a glimpse this year, you will have to wait until 2039 for another Oct. 31 blue moon, McClatchy News reported.
For a less spooky experience, the next “seasonal” blue moon is expected Aug. 22, 2021. And the next “calendrical” blue moon — the second full moon in a month — will appear Aug. 30, 2023, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac website.
“A full moon occurs when the side of the Moon facing Earth is fully lit up by the Sun” and appears as a disc in the sky, according to space experts.
This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 10:12 AM.
