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A full moon will be visible on Halloween for the first time since 1944

A full moon over downtown Boston.David L. Ryan

Halloween in 2020 will look different for a number of reasons. Among them: a full moon will light up the sky.

The full moon will be visible in all time zones on the holiday for the first time since 1944, according to the Farmers' Almanac. In 2001, those in Central and Pacific time zones trick-or-treated under a full moon.

Saturday’s full moon will also be a “blue moon," though it won’t actually appear blue. The term is used to describe the second full moon of a month, which takes place every 2.5 to 3 years, according to NASA. The first took place on Oct. 1.

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The full moon on Halloween is expected to be visible at 10:49 a.m. EDT.

A full moon on Halloween occurs roughly every 19 years in some time zones, a pattern known as the Metonic cycle, meaning we can expect a full Halloween moon to occur in 2039, 2058, 2077, and 2096.


Amanda Kaufman can be reached at amanda.kaufman@globe.com. Follow her @amandakauf1.