A Rare Halloween Blue Moon in 2020 – Mark Your Calendars!
Rare Halloween Blue Hunter’s Moon in 2020
When we think of “All Hallow’s Eve,” many of us conjure up terrifying images of werewolves, goblins, zombies, and other scary things that go “bump” in the night, all lit up by a spooky full Moon. But how common is a Halloween full Moon? Apparently, not very.
In 2001, ghosts and goblins in Central and Pacific time zones trick-or-treated by the light of a full Moon, but a Halloween full Moon hadn’t appeared for everyone in all time zones since 1944!
When you look at the full Moon on Halloween night, it won’t appear blue in color but you’ll be looking at something pretty uncommon. A full Moon on Halloween occurs roughly once every 19 years—a pattern known as the Metonic Cycle.
This well-known lunar cycle was discovered in 432 BC by the Greek, Meton, of Athens. He determined that after 19 years have elapsed, the phase of the Moon will repeat on the same date. Well , not always. Because of slight variations in the Moon’s orbital period, and the number of leap days that intervene over a 19-year time span, the Metonic Cycle can be accurate only to within a day.
Click HERE to read the rest of the article.
Image Credit: The Farmer's Almanac
Rare Halloween Blue Hunter’s Moon in 2020
When we think of “All Hallow’s Eve,” many of us conjure up terrifying images of werewolves, goblins, zombies, and other scary things that go “bump” in the night, all lit up by a spooky full Moon. But how common is a Halloween full Moon? Apparently, not very.
In 2001, ghosts and goblins in Central and Pacific time zones trick-or-treated by the light of a full Moon, but a Halloween full Moon hadn’t appeared for everyone in all time zones since 1944!
When you look at the full Moon on Halloween night, it won’t appear blue in color but you’ll be looking at something pretty uncommon. A full Moon on Halloween occurs roughly once every 19 years—a pattern known as the Metonic Cycle.
This well-known lunar cycle was discovered in 432 BC by the Greek, Meton, of Athens. He determined that after 19 years have elapsed, the phase of the Moon will repeat on the same date. Well , not always. Because of slight variations in the Moon’s orbital period, and the number of leap days that intervene over a 19-year time span, the Metonic Cycle can be accurate only to within a day.
Click HERE to read the rest of the article.
Image Credit: The Farmer's Almanac
