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A person holding a witch hat watches the Blue Moon rise over Castle Hill in Huddersfield,
Did you see “Halloween Hunter’s Blue Moon” last night?
It was the first full Moon seen in all US time zones on Halloween since 1944 and the last to be seen until 2039.
Here are some fabulous images of this rare event, and details of the “Eclipse of the Castor Moon or Frozen Moon” that will arrive in 29 days:
A ‘blue moon’ in Manhattan
Below is a fabulous image of the “Blue Hunter’s Moon” rising behind lower Manhattan and the One World Trade Center in New York City on Saturday night, as seen from Greenbrook Township, NJ:
The full blue moon and the hunter’s moon in Manhattan last night.
Why didn’t the ‘Blue Moon’ look blue?
Only on rare occasions does the Moon really appear blue, usually due to a volcanic eruption or a forest fire that sends a lot of smoke and fine dust into the atmosphere.
As it appears on the horizon, the full Moon generally looks pale orange for the same reasons as the color of a sunset, as shown in this image of the full Moon rising over Ankara, Turkey:
ANKARA, TURKEY – OCTOBER 31: The blue moon rises, a second full moon in a common calendar month … [+]
A ‘blue moon’ in London
Meanwhile, the “Blue Moon” rose in London just as Prime Minister Boris Johnson was giving a live television speech warning that England would enter another lockdown. Here’s the moon shining through the clouds over the Shard and Tower Bridge in London:
A blue moon shines over the Shard and Tower Bridge in London.
What is a ‘blue moon’?
There are two definitions. Last night’s “BlueMoon” was the second full moon in a calendar month, the second full moon in October 2020, although a full moon can also be called “Blue” when it is the third of four full moons in an astronomical season.
Here’s an image of the “Blue Moon” from Vladivostock, Russia:
A blue moon shines over Vladivostock, Russia last night.
When is the full moon best seen?
Always as it rises and sets. When; High in the sky it’s too bright to look Although most people see the rising of the full moon in the east around dusk, the view is much the same if you look west before sunrise on a moonset, as this image of Venezuela below shows:
The “blue moon” sets in the favela Valle de Caracas, on October 31, 2020.
A nearly full moon can look just as good
Although moon watchers are always out to see the full moon rise, the night before and the night after is usually almost as good to see.
Below is an image of bathers watching as a “crescent moon” – almost full – “Blue Moon” rises on Friday, October 30, 2020 in Folly Beach, South Carolina.
Moonrise on October 30, 2020 in Folly Beach, South Carolina.
When is the next full moon?
The next full moon is a bit special. It will occur on Monday, November 30, 2020 at 09:42 UTC, but in addition to being a full moon, it will also be an “icy moon” or a “beaver lunar eclipse.”
The “Blue Moon” over the Río de la Plata in Buenos Aires on Saturday night.
What is a ‘beaver lunar eclipse?’
It is the final penumbral lunar eclipse of 2020, which has seen four such events.
Visible only from North and South America, Australia and East Asia, approximately 83% of the Moon will slide into the outer shadow of the Earth in space, its diffuse gloom, and consequently turn gray. off. That’s because most of the sunlight that illuminates it will be blocked by Earth.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
