October's Blue Moon first to appear on Halloween since 1944

According to NASA, typically, each month has only one Full Moon but when it appears twice in one calendar month, it is called a Blue Moon and they only come every two or three years. Notably, a Blue Moon has nothing to do with the Moon having a blue hue, in fact, it appears pale grey and white, just like the Moon on any other night.


Devdiscourse News Desk | California | Updated: 24-10-2020 12:41 IST | Created: 24-10-2020 12:41 IST
October's Blue Moon first to appear on Halloween since 1944
(Representative Image) Image Credit: IANS
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There is an extra special treat coming for this year's Halloween, a rare Blue Moon on the night of October 31. While the first Full Moon of this month, also known as a Harvest Moon, occurred on October 1, the rare Blue Moon coming up at the end of this month is known as the Hunter's Moon and it will be the first Blue Moon to appear on Halloween since 1944.

According to NASA, typically, each month has only one Full Moon but when it appears twice in one calendar month, it is called a Blue Moon and they only come every two or three years. Notably, a Blue Moon has nothing to do with the Moon having a blue hue, in fact, it appears pale grey and white, just like the Moon on any other night.

There are rarely actual blue-tinted Moons due to particles thrown into the atmosphere by natural catastrophes such as a volcano or wildfires. For instance, when Indonesia's Krakatoa volcano erupted in 1883, lots of ash particles, about 1 micron in size, rose into the atmosphere. Dust or ash particles from such large eruptions could scatter red light and act as a blue filter, resulting in the Moon appearing Blue. Blue-colored Moons appeared for years following the 1883 eruption, NASA explained in a blog post.

The next Halloween Blue Moon will occur in 2039.

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