There Are a Ton of Moon Events Happening in 2020, Including a Blue Moon on Halloween

Typically, we see 12 full moons a year, one for each month. However, we’re in for a treat this year because there will be two full moons in October. A full moon is about a 27-day cycle and comes to fruition when the moon and sun are 180 degrees apart, or in other words, most opposite of each other. So October will have a full moon on Oct. 1 and Oct. 31.

Did you know each full moon has its own nickname? Some of the most peculiar names include Flower Moon (May 7), Strawberry Moon (June 5), Corn Moon (Sept. 2), and Beaver Moon (Nov. 30).

When there are two full moons in a singular calendar month, it’s called a Blue Moon. The last time a Blue Moon occurred was in 2018. So don’t fret if you missed it, because there will be one come this October. The first full moon will take place on Oct. 1, and the Blue Moon, or “extra” full moon, will take place on Halloween. Spooky!

Essentially, there are two factors that go into making a supermoon: the moon’s perigee, and when the moon is full. A perigee is a fancy name for the point where the moon’s orbit is the closest to Earth, which is roughly 226,000 miles from Earth. A supermoon will also appear brighter and larger than a normal full moon, hence making it “super.” There will be two supermoons this year on March 9 and April 7.

While it technically isn’t a supermoon, the second full moon of Winter – called a Snow Moon – will occur the weekend of Feb. 7. It’s called a Snow Moon because it occurs in February, a month with typically heavy snow. The moon will rise at about 4:47 p.m. on Saturday and set at about 7:33 a.m. on Sunday, reaching its full phase at 2:33 a.m. The reason this isn’t a supermoon is because supermoons occur simultaneously with perigee, which is when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth, and this Snow Moon is taking place only about a day and a half after perigee. Still, it’ll be really beautiful to see!

As if it couldn’t have a more transparent name, the micromoon is when the moon appears the smallest and is the furthest distance away from Earth. The micromoon will be roughy 252,380 miles away, almost 30,000 miles further than it was at its biggest size six months prior. This will happen on Oct. 31. Is it just us, or does it seem like Halloween is going to have a few extra eerie layers this year?