Rare Blue Moon will rise on October 31

Posted on 23 September 2020

While South Africa generally doesn’t celebrate Halloween as wildly as other parts of the world, a rare celestial event is taking place on October 31.

A Blue Moon will appear in the night sky, making it the second full moon to occur in a single calendar month. The actual colour of the moon will not be blue though.

There are two definitions of a Blue Moon according to Time and Date:

  1. Seasonal Blue Moon = The third Full Moon in an astronomical season with four Full Moons (versus the usual three).
  2. Monthly Blue Moon = The second Full Moon in a month with two Full Moons.

The original astronomical definition is the seasonal Blue Moon. ‘Usually, there are three Full Moons between each astronomical season, which is the time between each solstice and equinox. But some years, there are four Full Moons in a season. When this happens, the third Full Moon is called a Blue Moon,’ says Time and Date.

The find out what time the moon will rise and be visible in your province, click here.

Image credit: Unsplash




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