A rare and spooky sight this Halloween
Ariona Imel, Staff Writer
We all know when the spookiest season roles around each year. Halloween night is also associated with a full moon. The full moon we would typically see is not that, it is 98% full.
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The full moon that appears on Halloween of 2020 is not a common occurrence; it will be a blue moon. The blue moon that will appear on Halloween really only happens every 18-19 years.
Snapping a photo of the moon won’t look the same as viewing it with your eyes. For those wondering, there is no need to go out and get fancy equipment for a photo of this moon. It still will not come out as good as the one viewed from the human eye.
This October we’ve already experienced a full moon; it appeared on Oct. 1. The first full moon is called the Harvest Moon. It’s really just like any other full moon, but since it’s closest to the autumn equinox, it gets a special name.
When it appeared, some probably saw a red fiery circle near it. It might have even looked like a star, but it was actually the planet Mars. When the Harvest moon occurs, the moon itself rises closer to when sunset happens.
The moon typically rises 50 minutes later each day, but the occurrence of the Harvest moon causes a difference of 20 minutes.
Why does this full moon occur? During the fall, the ecliptic traces the moon’s track across the sky, which then makes an angle with the evening horizon.
This causes the moon to noticeably rise farther north, which is why there is not a longer stretch of time between sundown and moonrise.
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It’s worth mentioning that the moon won’t actually be blue. It may have a hue that gives off a blue-ish tint, but when snapping a photo, it won’t appear blue. According to the farmer’s almanac, the next full moon on Halloween will occur in 2039, 2058 and 2077.
The blue moon will be quite the sight this Halloween. It will appear to everyone across the world for the first time since World War II.
You’ll want to be prepared to catch a glimpse of this rare sight. Some people believe a full moon happens every Halloween, but this is not completely true because it is not always seen across the globe; this one will be.
