Think you have seen it all? You may want to think again! It seems like this year has put on a display of all the natural phenomena in one go, making it seem like we are seeing everything in one lifetime. The latest to join in on the bandwagon is a rare blue moon that will appear on Halloween 2020. By Amitha Ameen
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You may want to set a reminder on your calendar to catch a glimpse of this rare blue moon that will appear across all time zones on Halloween 2020. The blue moon, which will be the second full moon in a month, will illuminate the night sky on Halloween in a fitting way making the festival spookier.
According to NASA’s National Space Science Data Center, the blue moon occurs only once every two years, making it all the more special. A full moon occurs every month, but because the lunar cycle and calendar are not always in sync, sometimes we witness two full moons in the same calendar month.
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October will see two full moons; the first one called Harvest moon that will fall on the first of the month, and the second one is the blue moon, which will be visible on October 31. This will be the first time when a Halloween full moon will appear in all time zones since 1944 (as reported on Farmers’ Almanac). The last time a Halloween full moon appeared was in 2001 but only over the Central and Pacific time zones.
While the popular phrase ‘once in a blue moon’ probably originated from this natural wonder, it does not mean that this rare blue moon will actually be blue in colour. Usually, the moon takes on a blue appearance because of smoke or dust particles in the atmosphere. So, if any unusual activity were to happen this Halloween, you’ll now know why!
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