For the first time in more than 75 years, Halloween across the United States will receive some spooky ambiance from a full moon this year.
The last time a Halloween full moon occurred across all U.S. time zones was in 1944, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. Some time zones saw a blue moon on Oct. 31, 2001.
The next one isn’t expected to happen until 2039, NASA said.
Although Saturday’s moon will be a “blue” moon, it won’t actually appear to be blue. Scientists use the term to describe the second full moon of a given month, which only occurs about once every 2 1/2 years, NASA said.
According to the Farmers Almanac, the first full Moon of 2020 howled onto the scene with January’s Wolf Moon on Jan. 10. Usually, there is one full moon each month, making 12 total for the year. But on occasion, some months will have two full moons.
That’s the case for this month. There was a full Moon on Oct. 1, known as the Harvest Moon, which usually appears in September. It is so named because it occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. The Sept. 2 full moon occurred too early to be known as the harvest moon and was instead a Corn Moon.
The second is coming up on Oct. 31 — a Halloween blue moon. It is also called the Hunter’s Moon because it usually occurs in October, the month when traditionally game was fattened and preparations for winter began.
This year’s blue moon, which will turn full at 10:49 a.m. EDT, will be a rare Halloween treat.
Editors note: The headline and article clarifies that this is the first time since 1944 to occur across all times in the U.S. This post has been updated.