Don’t miss it: Rare full moon set to light up Halloween sky

Hunter’s Blue Moon appears Oct. 31

As if 2020 wasn’t eerie enough, this year’s Halloween night will be once in a blue moon.

On average we see about one full moon per month, but on rare occasions some months are packed with two full moons, like this October.

October 2020 Full Moon Schedule:

  • Oct. 1 (The Harvest Moon): This name is given to the first full moon after the autumnal equinox.
  • Oct. 31 (The Hunter’s Moon): This name is typically given because hunters would track and kill prey under the fall moonlight, collecting food before winter.

This rare double full moon occurrence would also mean that this Halloween will be a blue moon because it’s the second full moon in one month. This happens on average every two and a half to three years. This is where the saying “once in a blue moon” comes to play.

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(Copyright 2020 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.)

If you are keeping track, by Halloween we will be up to 11 full moons this year, including four supermoons.

But how rare is a full moon on Halloween night?

Actually, it is quite rare. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the last time the entire country saw a full moon on Halloween was back in 1944.

Make sure you get all your howls out this Halloween because the next time this will happen will be in another 19 years, in 2039.

If my memory serves me right, a full moon on Halloween sounds like a scene pulled from the Michael Jackson music video “Thriller.” So, don’t be surprised to see a few more werewolves trick-or-treating this Halloween.


About the Author:

Candace Campos joined the News 6 weather team in 2015.

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