That was a Hunter’s Blue Moon Halloween for Stargazers

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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.