Rare blue moon to light up night sky on Halloween 2020
An undated file image shows a full moon in the night sky. (Photo by: A&G Reporter/AGF/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Halloween night will be extra spooky this year, as a rare lunar event is set to light up the night sky — and it only happens “once in a blue moon.”
A full moon will appear on Oct. 31, 2020, Farmers’ Almanac said. Such an event occurring on Halloween only happens every 18 to 19 years, so it will be an extra-special spectacle, according to the periodical.
It will also be the second full moon of the month, and therefore, is called a “blue moon.” It won’t appear blue in color, though. This name is given to the second full moon to appear in a calendar month, according to the Farmers’ Almanac.
The first full moon, called the “harvest moon,” appeared on Oct. 1.
To add to the rarity of Halloween night, a blue moon only happens every two and a half to three years, according to Farmers’ Almanac. It will reach peak illumination at 10:51 a.m. ET on Halloween morning, but will appear full that night too, the periodical added.
After 2020, we will next see a 100%-illuminated Halloween full moon in the years 2039, 2058, 2077 and 2096, the Farmer’s Almanac said.
The next full moon in 2020 after Halloween will be November’s “full beaver moon.”
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This story was reported from Cincinnati.