**** Info via Environment Canada
The Halloween night sky this year was illuminated by a “blue moon”, the second full moon in the month, making it a little spookier than usual!
Every month has a full moon, but because the lunar cycle and the calendar year are not perfectly synched, about every three years we end up with two full moons in the same calendar month.
A “Blue Moon” is therefore the name given to the second full moon in a single calendar month. As there are roughly 29.5 days between full moons, it is unusual for two full moons to fit into a 30- or 31-day-long month; and it means that the month of February will never have a blue moon.
How common is a Halloween full moon?
Apparently, not very! A full moon on Halloween occurs roughly only once every 19 years. And it is the first time this “once in a blue moon” phenomenon happens for all time zones since 1944! The last time there was a Halloween full moon was in 2001, but the Moon was only completely full for observers in the Central and Pacific Time zones. Based on this 19-year cycle, the next time we will see a Halloween full moon – in this century – will be in 2039, 2058, 2077, and 2096.
We hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween night!
For the best Moon viewing forecast: cloud forecast for astronomical purposes.
