Rare Blue Moon to Light Up Night Sky this Halloween
August 10, 2020 By Chelsea T.
Halloween 2020 will be spookier than usual this year as there will be a rare Blue Moon spotted in the night sky. The moon will not really be blue in color, but instead, the name comes from it being the second full moon of the month. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the month of October has two full moons. The first one will take place on Thursday, October 1st, and the second on the night of our favorite spooky holiday.
The sighting of two full moons in one month is not very common and only happens on average every 2 1/2 to 3 years, so we are lucky that Halloween night will be lit up by this rare moon! A blue moon on Halloween is so rare that it only occurs once every 19 years (known as a Metonic Cycle).
The Farmer’s Almanac goes on to talk about how we describe unusual events as “Once in a Blue Moon,” an expression that was “first noted back in 1821 and refers to occurrences that are uncommon, though not truly rare.”
Click here to check out more interesting details on blue moons!
