Prepare to contemplate the first of two full moons scheduled for October; the first will dazzle sky watchers this Thursday (Oct 1) and the second will shine strangely later this month on Halloween (Oct 31)
It is rare to have two full moons in a month To mark the occasion, the second full moon will be known as the « blue moon », although it will not actually appear blue (The moon does not appear blue only when there are massive amounts of particles in Earth’s atmosphere, such as dust from a volcanic eruption, which scatter different wavelengths of light in different amounts) Another definition of « blue moon » highlights evidently the third of four full moons in a single season
To see Thursday’s full moon, also known as the harvest moon, set an alarm at 5:05 p.m.m EDT (2105 UTC), the moment when the moon appears « opposite » the sun, in terrestrial longitude, according to NASA
If you are busy at that time, you can still witness the heavenly spectacle, as the moon will appear full for three days, starting today (seven 30) until Saturday morning (Oct 3)
The harvest moon is linked to the time of year when farmers historically had to rely on moonlight when working late. In fact, the harvest moon is an ancient European name; it was first published in 1706, according to the Oxford English Dictionary Most years the crop moon shines in September, but this year it lights up the night sky in October, as it is the full moon the closer to the autumnal equinox, which fell in September 22 this year (As a result, the full moon in September took the name « corn moon »)
Other names for the Oct 1 moon include the traveling moon, the dying grass moon, and the blood or blood moon (according to the Algonquin tribes, who lived in the Northeastern United States, at least according to the Almanac of the 1930s Maine farmers, now extinct) This full moon also matches the fall and harvest festivals in Asia, including the Moon Festival and Moon Cake Festival in China, and Chuseok, a harvest festival in Korea which is observed when city dwellers return to their hometowns to pay homage to the spirits of their ancestors, according to NASA
Meanwhile, the blue moon will shine at 9:49 a.m. EDT (14:49 UTC) on Halloween Traditionally, this full moon would have helped cheaters find their way in the dark, but this year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say « participating in traditional tricks or treatments, where treats are given to children who go door-to-door, » is a high-risk activity, due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Low-risk activities include pumpkin carving, hosting a virtual costume contest, and watching Halloween movies with your household, CDC said Moderate risk activities include social distancing tricks or treats (when a bowl of candy is left out for little ghouls) and social distancing costume parades
October skygazers may also see other landmark events this month For example, comet NEOWISE (named after NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, which spotted the comet; and also known as comet C / 2020 P1) could be visible on the morning of October 17 or 18, according to NASA
Additionally, the current background of the stars will appear to be moving west each morning, while Venus will appear to be moving slowly east, NASA reported. Venus and the star Regulus will appear at their closest this week, October 2 and 3
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October 2020 Full Moon, Full Moon
World News – United States – How to see October 1 Full Moons and Halloween
