Halloween 2020’s Full Moon Is Going to Be Something Special

It’s Halloween and while the spookiest of holidays is always special for those who enjoy the costumes, the trick or treating, or even just the horror movie marathons and other streaming content the season provides, this year’s Halloween is a bit more special than usual. A rare full moon will appear in the night sky on Halloween night — something that won’t happen again until Halloween 2039 — but more than that, there are a variety of other factors for this full moon that makes it truly special and perfectly spooky, too.

Generally speaking, a full moon that is visible in the United States on Halloween is itself rare, but tonight’s full moon will be visible almost globally. According to Thrillist, only Australia and New Zealand will miss out on this full moon in terms of calendar — it will be November 1st for both of those countries when they see the full moon. Tonight’s full moon is also (for most of the world) the second full moon of October, something called a blue moon though the actual color of the moon isn’t blue.

But the Halloween full moon is rare for yet another reason. This moon will also be something called a micro-moon. That means that it is the full moon that happens at the point furthest from Earth in its orbit. This position makes tonight’s full moon the smallest of the year. An unusual full moon seen nearly globally on Halloween that is also the second full moon for October and the year’s micro moon? That’s a lot of unusual, which seems weirdly on trend for 2020 though in a good way.

Of course, the moon won’t be the only special thing in the sky on Halloween night. Those that look up while trick or treating or otherwise marking the holiday in a safe way thanks to COVID-19 are going be treated to some other spectacular cosmic sights. Mars is currently closer to Earth than it will be for another 15 years and as a result is both larger in the sky and a bit brighter than usual — and a bit redder as well.

Will you be doing a little stargazing tonight? Do you plan to dress up for Halloween or will you be enjoying spooky movies and entertainment instead of heading out celebrate in other ways? Let us know your Halloween holiday plans in the comments!

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