October to feature a rare Halloween 'blue moon'

Between a once-in-a-lifetime comet and a near-miss with an extremely close asteroid, 2020 has been a strange year for outer space. This October is no exception, bringing a rare blue moon just in time for Halloween.

The month will have two full moons, including one on Halloween night, Oct. 31. The next time we’ll see an equally spooky Halloween full moon is 2039.

The last time that a Halloween full moon was visible in all U.S. time zones was 1944, according to the Farmers' Almanac.

The Halloween full moon will be a so-called "blue" moon because it's the second full moon of the month.

Blue moons occur because the lunar cycle and the calendar year are not perfectly synced. Full moons come every 29 days, while most months are 30 or 31 days. The Americas last saw a blue moon in March 2018.

The first full moon of the month is coming on October 1. This year, it's known as the Harvest moon, because it is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox.

The second full moon peaks at 10:49 a.m. ET on October 31, creating a spooky backdrop for an unusual Halloween. According to Farmer's Almanac, the last Halloween full moon occurred in 2001, but only for central and pacific time zones.

Unfortunately, it won't actually appear blue — the date of a full moon does not affect the moon's color.

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