It’s been 76 years since the last time a Full Moon appeared on Halloween. So tonight, look up in the sky and enjoy the first Blue Moon Halloween since 1944.  

Blue Moons aren’t really blue. They are rare. When a month has two full moons the second one is called a Blue Moon.  About every 2.5 years, a month has two full Moons. 

October 2020 had two full Moons that bookend the month. The first one was October 1st, which was also known as the Harvest Moon, and another one Saturday, October 31st. The Halloween full Hunter’s Moon can be seen across all time zones. 

The Hunter's Moon is also called the Travel Moon, Dying Grass Moon, and sometimes Blood Moon or Sanguine Moon.

NASA Star watching

The moon orbits approximately 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers) from the Earth.  This year, we are experiencing a full Micro Moon, on Blue Moon Halloween. So the moon is about 31,000 miles (50,000 km) farther from Earth than it would be during a full Super Moon when the moon is at its closest point (perigee) to Earth in its orbit.

In ancient times the full moon is associated with illumination and inspiration. During a full moon, the sun and moon are always in opposite Zodiac signs.

And the moon isn't the only shiny object shining brightly in the sky. October skygazers may have noted some exceptional views of Mars, in opposition, which means the Earth lies between Mars and the sun. And about every two years, the Earth and Mars are at the closest point in their orbits. Elon Musk’s dream planet has been visible every night in October. And it is brightest at midnight.

Remember the time changes to standard time. Sunday morning, November 1, at 2 AM EDT, we fall back to 1 AM EST and gain an hour.

----------------------------------------

Have a story you want USA Herald to cover? Submit a tip here and if we think it's newsworthy, we'll follow up on it.

Want to contribute a story? We also accept article submissions – check out our writer's guidelines here.