Halloween 2020 will feature first global blue moon since 1944

According to an article by YaleNews, there will be a rare global blue moon occurring on Halloween Oct. 31, 2020.

The term “blue moon” is a reference to the second full moon in a month with two full moons and has nothing to do with the actual color of the moon. A global full moon is a full moon that occurs across all time zones. The last time a global blue moon occurred was on Oct. 31, 1944, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. On Saturday, Oct. 31, the light of a full moon will be visible to all of the U.S., weather permitting.

Michael Faison, director of the Leitner Family Observatory and Planetarium and Department of Astronomy lecturer explained to YaleNews the rarity of a Halloween blue moon. Since October has 31 days, and the average time between full moons is 29.5 days, a full moon on Halloween is always the blue moon. This even occurs every 19 years, with the next one scheduled to occur in 2039.