Blue Hunter’s Moon

The Moon is full and bright the next couple of nights. And it has so many titles you might think it’s royalty. Since it’s officially full tomorrow, it’s a Halloween Moon. As the full Moon after the Harvest Moon, it’s the Hunter’s Moon. And as the second full Moon this month, it’s a Blue Moon. Put them all together, and it’s a Blue Hunter’s Halloween Moon.

The first full Moon this month came on the 1st. As the full Moon closest to the fall equinox, it was the Harvest Moon. And the Hunter’s Moon always comes next. In bygone times, the bare fields after the harvest made it easier for hunters to stock up on game for the winter.

A Blue Moon generally happens every two or three years. The Moon’s cycle of phases is 29 and a half days long, so the timing has to be just right to squeeze two full Moons into a single month. Back in 2018, we had two of them — in January and March — with no full Moon at all in February. And the next one won’t come along until August of 2023.

Although the full Moon is often associated with Halloween, the two don’t coincide all that often. In the 21st century, they happen an average of about once every 19 years. For most of the United States, the last one took place in 2001 — and it was a Blue Hunter’s Moon as well. And the next one won’t come around until 2039.

So enjoy the Blue Hunter’s Halloween Moon — lighting up the sky both tonight and tomorrow night.

Script by Damond Benningfield